Hyrule Rising
by theDeadTree
Summary: The Triforce and the Golden Goddesses are a legend people no longer believe. Magic has left the land. Hyrule has walled itself off from the outside world, wary and distrusting. The Royal Family have been deposed, replaced by a tyrant king. Chaos reigns, and Demise's curse has taken a severe toll on the Hero of Legend. The land cries out for a saviour, but is it already too late?
1. Chapter One

**Note/Disclaimer:** I did indeed post this previously. Computer weirdness ensued, stuff got accidentally deleted, and I decided to take the opportunity to rework it slightly before reposting. I'll try to get back up to where I was as quickly as possible.

I don't own Legend of Zelda.

* * *

><p>The sky is red. The grass is blowing in the slight breeze, the only thing that is moving on this otherwise barren hilltop. Blood is pouring from somewhere, spilling out and pooling on the ground, flowing like a river. I stand motionless, rooted to the spot somehow, unable to move no matter how much I try. The blood reaches me and stains my boots and I want to pull back in disgust but I remain still, staring aimlessly ahead. There's a woman standing motionless next to me, but I don't recognise her. I don't recognise anything about this scene, but somehow I feel like I should. Everything is hazy and unclear, like a half forgotten memory.<p>

I don't know where I am.

Where- …where am I?

There's a dark shape on the horizon. A figure. I can barely make it out but it's tall – a good couple of feet taller than me, even – imposing and clearly male. I don't recognise them, it's not like anyone I've ever seen before. I want to call out, to demand answers or _something,_ but I remain silent. I can't bring myself to do anything. I'm helpless, trapped in my own body, little more than spectator.

The blood is coming from him, I realise, as I can see now that there's some kind of blade – a sword, maybe? – impaling his chest, having ripped mercilessly through his flesh, punching through his ribcage, tearing through his lung and pushing out through the skin on his back. Blood is flowing down, staining his skin, seeping into every tiny crack of his armour, covering almost every inch of the blade and pooling on the ground. There's so much of it. It's everywhere, in everything. Not even I'm spared, I noticed as I look down at myself. I'm worn, I'm suddenly so overcome with exhaustion it's a wonder I'm still standing. My clothes are ripped and torn and they too, are covered in blood. Whether it's mine or his I can't tell.

How is he still alive?

The woman, she's the only one untouched by any of this. She's simply standing there, utterly impassive as the man standing in front of her continues to bleed. The hem of her dress is red, stained with blood, I have to assume. I don't know who she's watching, him or me. I don't know how she can just stand there without reacting, given everything. She doesn't seem the least bit surprised or shocked or horrified. She simply stares unflinchingly, like she's seen it all before, a hundred times over.

Maybe she has.

I return my gaze to him, unable to stop myself. He's still standing there. Still breathing, still rasping, gargling and spitting as he still clings desperately to any small semblance of life. I'm repulsed by the mere sight of him. Just being near him is enough to provoke a tidal wave of blind hatred to engulf me. From his expression, I'd wager I have the same effect on him. He shuffles forward, trying to approach me and for a horrible second I think he's going to pull the sword out of his chest, blood and guts and all, and stab me with it – but he stops after making it a couple of inches forward, unable to go on.

Why isn't he dead?

Why won't you die?

How many times do I have to kill you before you'll _die?!_

How many times have I lived and died just to accomplish this one task? Why won't you ever die? Why do you always have to keep coming back? Why can't it end already? Why do we have to keep doing this, over and over again? Are we doomed to this for the rest of eternity? Am _I_ doomed to this? Will the carnage ever end?

Please, for the love of everything, _please_ let it end.

Don't make me do this again.

I can't keep doing this.

I _can't_ keep doing this.

Then I realise.

The sword that's impaling him, it's mine.

It's _mine._

I did this.

I killed him.

Of course I killed him. Why did I think I hadn't? Isn't it obvious? I'm the only one who ever kills him.

I'm revolted and horrified by the very idea that I've done something like that, but none of that seems to come through. Nothing seems to register. It's like I'm not really me. I'm not really here. All I can do is stand here, wishing and pleading and begging for him to die.

_Die,_ you evil bastard.

What's the point anymore?

Why do we always fight the inevitable?

Just die already.

There's a deep, guttural voice, laughing maniacally – although it's breathless, wheezing, on the verge of death. He coughs up yet more blood, but continues to cackle. It sends chills up my spine.

Why aren't you dead yet?

Why don't you ever _die?_

"_Do not think this ends here," _he tells me, a trail of blood dripping from his mouth._ "The history of light and shadow will be written in blood."_

Then he dies – he finally, mercifully _dies._ Now he's nothing more than a corpse standing there, somehow still menacing, somehow still leering down at me even though his eyes are blank and will never see again.

I know he's right. I know it won't end. That it will never end, no matter how much I wish it otherwise. I know that when it comes down to it, I'm doomed. I know that we're all doomed, trapped in an eternal struggle between good and evil, order and chaos. It's been that way since the beginning.

The beginning?

What beginning?

What's wrong with me?

I don't even recognise my own thoughts.

Where am I?

I can't move, I can't do anything but stare as he slowly falls forward and the darkness creeps in, taking hold of me and dragging me down, enveloping me. The hillside, the corpse, the woman, they're gone, replaced by impenetrable blackness. I scream and try to fight, to no avail. There isn't anything here. There isn't anything to fight against.

No.

No, there is _always_ something to fight against.

Where am I?

There's a flash of something; maybe it's fire, maybe it's lightning – I can't tell.

I'm screaming, I'm begging for it to end, for the endless cycle of blood and war to stop. I don't want to fight anymore. I can't fight anymore. I've been fighting and struggling for so long and all it ever achieves is a few years of peace before evil inevitably cloaks the world again. And each and every single time it does I manage to get dragged into it, expected to fix it, because that's who I am. In the end, that's all I've ever been. That's the purpose I serve in the grand scheme of things.

And I can't do it. I can't bring myself to do what's necessary. I'd sooner fall on my own sword.

It needs to end.

It has to end.

It will _never_ end.

_Where am I?_

Something rises up beneath me, the gaping maw of a huge abomination. I'm falling down into it, completely helpless. The beast is roaring in anticipation and someone is laughing and I'm falling and there isn't a single thing I can do to save myself.

_An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time._

I jerked awake, panting heavily and covered in sweat despite the weather being cold and the fact that I'd apparently kicked the covers off my bed in a fit while I was asleep. Slowly, I sat up, gulping down air in some vain attempt to calm my speeding heart, pushing my hair which was plastered to my forehead by the ocean of sweat back out of my face.

Just a nightmare, I told myself over and over again as I tried to claw my way back to some semblance of reality. Just a regular, stupid old nightmare. Nothing serious or overly traumatic. A nightmare. Nothing more.

What was that? What did it mean?

Do I even want to know?

Have I had that dream before? I don't think so, but then, why can't I shake the feeling that I've had it before? Maybe I have. Maybe it's just one of those dreams I haven't been able to remember until now. Maybe I'm hallucinating. I don't know. I can't tell anymore. I'm starting to wonder if I ever could.

Eventually, I collapsed back onto the bed, rolled over, buried my face in my pillow and groaned loudly.

I so do not have the headspace to think about this right now.

For what seemed like an eternity I lay there, too tired to get up and yet unable to go back to sleep. I guess I was too shaken by the nightmare. I could hear the usual sounds of the world outside my room – voices in the yard, carts being pulled by horses down the cobblestone road outside the barracks, and the uniform step of yet another patrol. Such noises could only mean one thing.

I overslept.

_Again._

Cirillo is going to have my skin.

I tumbled out of bed and quickly threw on my uniform before wrenching open the door and racing down to the dining hall. Why, _why_ does Ivan _never_ feel the need to wake me up? He'll probably insist that I should work out my own problems and not rely on other people to help me all the time. Which is advice I would normally respect if he didn't rope me into helping him train every other day.

"Nice of you join the waking world at last," Ivan greeted me cheerfully the second I sat down. "Are you _trying_ to go for the official title of 'Most Useless Person in the Entire Garrison'?"

I smiled crookedly and said nothing, opting instead to grab a spoon and begin prodding at the usual pale, faintly greyish mush they expect us to somehow force down each and every morning. Reality, like breakfast, seems just that much harder to swallow today. I don't know if it has anything to do with the dream, or if I'm just feeling particularly disillusioned. Maybe it's both.

It's probably both.

My silence seemed to worry Ivan.

"Are you okay? Usually you're a little more talkative than this."

I shot him a dangerous look.

"Whoa, hey, what's with the look?"

For a few seconds, I didn't move or change my expression in the slightest, before very slowly returning to my breakfast. Ivan watched me, wary.

"Okay, quit the silent treatment. Please. It's kind of freaking me out. Did you get out the wrong side of bed or what?"

"Isn't that kind of the point?"

"Eh?"

"Maybe I wouldn't oversleep half as much if you had the balls to wake me up."

"Easier said than done; you don't know what you're like in the morning. Besides, you looked so peaceful," he told me in a mocking tone.

"Shut up," I growled.

"Better watch that tone, young man; or Cirillo will eat you alive."

"You say it like there's been a single day this past year where he _hasn't_ chewed me out for something."

He smirked. "Oh, the endless trauma of being the only real promising swordsman in the entire regiment. You'd go so far, if only you weren't such a lazy, unmotivated sack of lard."

I pushed my bowl away and rest my head on the table, groaning loudly. "Shut up, Ivan."

"Gee, you're really not in a good mood today, are you? Do I even want to know what's wrong?"

"I don't want to be here," I told him bluntly. No point in evading the truth.

"I think you'll be hard pressed to find someone who _does_ want to be here," he told me quietly, before leaning back and stretching. "But hey, it's only five years of your life. Nothing you can't deal with."

"How does a country go from a decent, well-functioning society to a totalitarian police state in ten years?"

"_Link!"_ he hissed my name in a warning tone before glancing around warily in case anyone heard. "What are you, crazy? You'll get yourself arrested if you say stuff like that!"

I looked up at him. "Come on Ivan, you know it's true."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said sharply. "And frankly, neither do you."

"Ivan-"

"But I _do_ know that I still have a family I'd like to keep alive and a bare minimum of four more years here, unlike you. I don't have a death wish."

I rolled my eyes a little. He was being so paranoid. He'd always been a bit like that.

"Look around you. No one is listening. No one who'll do anything about it, anyway."

"People might be listening. This whole place could be full of people who'd go running to the king the second they catch wind of discontent."

Okay, now he was getting ridiculous.

"Yeah, sure," I snorted. "Because hearing words of discontent is so freaking _rare._ I suppose you're going to start believing in the Triforce now too?"

"Shut up, Link."

That basically means I've won, and he has nothing to say in reply.

And then, seemingly without warning, my thoughts strayed back to what happened ten years ago, with the revolt and ultimate fate of the old Royal Family. Everyone had been so idealistic back then. They were going to usher in a new era of peace and tranquillity for Hyrule, after years of unrest. It was supposed to be the break in the cycle everyone had been waiting, hoping and praying for. Instead we ended up with a man who has been frequently described as tyrant, and everything got so much worse. It wasn't too long before people were talking of another rebellion, and how things were easier under the old regime. How the old king and queen hadn't deserved that kind of death. How Princess Zelda, who'd been a seven year old girl at the time, hadn't deserved that kind of death.

Immediately, the image of three bashed and beaten corpses strung up outside the castle gates flashed through my mind. I closed my eyes and exhaled, trying to think of something, _anything,_ other than that.

So you saw some dead people, Link. It's been ten years. Get over it already.

I leaned back, sighing a little wistfully. "Fighting and war is never as glorious and the legends would have people believe. The more I think about it, the more I think they're just stories people made up to make kids feel a bit better about the idea of getting drafted."

"Well you're a cynical bastard, aren't you?"

"We're soldiers. Why aren't _you_ a cynical bastard yet?"

"We're _trainees."_

"We're a couple of seventeen year olds that were conscripted even though Hyrule hasn't had a real war for over four centuries," I shot back. "What are we actually needed for?"

"Keeping the peace."

"Keeping the peace via oppression, while protecting a tyrannical king who took the throne upon massacring the _actual_ Royal Family?"

"I'm not getting into this."

"Because you don't have a death wish," I added dully.

"Precisely because I don't have a death wish," he said, nodding. "You should really try getting rid of yours sometime."

"You're being wilfully blind to the truth."

"Yeah? So what if I am? What is the other thing going to get me? A flogging and an early grave."

I had nothing to say to that. I knew he was right. I didn't really know why I pushing it so much in the first place. If I really was as unafraid of the possible consequences as I pretended to be, I in all likelihood would've deserted by now. Deep down, we're all much more scared than any of us are willing to admit. No one is brave enough to rebel, not really. No matter how much we wish we were.

I sat there, unmoving, saying nothing, absently scratching my hand since it had suddenly begun to itch for no real reason. I don't know. I don't know what to think anymore. Ivan has a point, I know he does. I just wish I could _do_ something about all the problems I see in the world rather than sit here feeling helpless.

Ivan stood up. "It's late. We'd better hightail it to the training yard."

Without another word, he headed outside. I quickly followed him, remaining silent, although largely relieved. If he had been really angry with me he would've left without saying anything. When I reached the door I took one last wary glance of the entire dining hall – it was now empty, but I couldn't rid myself of the unsettling feeling of dread. Why did I have to get loud and outspoken today of all days? Why do I feel like something horrible to going to happen? Is this because of the nightmare?

If that's the case, how on earth did one nightmare manage to alter my entire view of reality?

No. I've had this coming for a while. I'm overdue for the full blown existential crisis.

I supressed a sigh. I need to stop thinking as though I can change things. The world got like this for a reason, and wishing isn't going to do anything about it.

Still. One can hope.


	2. Chapter Two

"You're late."

There they were, the two words that would undoubtedly mean I'm going to get run into the ground today. I stood straight and perfectly still, deciding it was better if I didn't visibly react.

"Sorry sir," Ivan said stiffly beside me.

"It won't happen again sir," I added for good measure.

Cirillo didn't look overly convinced – and I suppose he had every right to be. "Thanks to your tardiness, Link, you can _all_ run twenty laps of the yard."

This was met with some exasperated groans and couple of quick glares being shot in my direction. I resisted the urge to shrug innocently as Ivan shrank back, knowing full well that Cirillo would single me out as the sole cause of the problem like always. I'd think he has it in for me, but he's surprisingly gentle compared to just about every other captain we could've ended up with.

Doesn't make him any less of a hard ass.

"Anyone who complains can _join_ Link for a few hundred push-ups immediately afterward," our commanding officer barked as everyone started running.

Not as bad as it could've been, I insisted to myself over and over again. As much as I'm not particularly keen on the idea of doing three hundred push-ups on my own, it's still not as bad as it could've been. I could've been flogged. Or branded. Or put through some other kind of cruel and unusual punishment that probably outweighs the crime. That's the only punishment you get anymore.

Because Hyrule is a newfound totalitarian police state and such.

Things weren't like this ten years ago. They can't have been. I refuse to accept the idea that it was always this way. That's a little too hard to swallow. It's hard enough trying to deal with the general state of the world without entertaining the idea that this is the way it's always been. Certainly the world the legends talk about isn't like this. But then, those are legends. They have this habit of romanticising everything and often have to have some moral or something to that effect. It's nice to think that omnipotent magical relics and reoccurring heroes are real, but it doesn't do much as far as reality is concerned.

Maybe Ivan's right. Maybe I _have_ been getting increasingly cynical. Hasn't everyone, though? Wasn't that a kind of nationwide side effect of living through a particularly violent takeover? Didn't we all get just a little more cynical the second the Royal Family were slaughtered not even that far from here, their bodies put on display in front of the castle, as a message to us all?

At that point, Ivan himself caught up to me.

"Just think; in less than a year's time he'll stop seeing us as kids and start seeing us as actual privates," he grumbled. "We'll never survive."

"It won't be so bad," I muttered. "Initial training's mostly just about getting people into shape. After that it's more focused on weaponry – learning the technicalities instead of just the basics."

"That's all well and good for _you,_ but we can't all be master swordsmen."

"I'm _not_ a master swordsman," I insisted. "That takes years of dedication and practice."

"How do you explain getting everything perfectly first time, then?"

I thought about it for a couple of seconds. Maybe I'm just a natural. That certainly does seem to be everyone's favourite word to describe me. It's either 'wow Link, you're a natural at this' or 'don't get cocky just because you seem to get it faster, Link'.

"Getting a hang of it quickly doesn't make me a master. Besides, there really isn't that much to get. Just swing the pointy end."

That's a lie and we both know it. I'm trying to downplay everything because I can't stand the thought of being noticeably better than everyone around me at something.

He laughed. _"That's_ your secret? Swing the pointy end? And all this time, I've been trying to club people to death with the hilt. No wonder I've been cutting up my hands so badly."

"You're not funny, Ivan."

"Aw, come on. Laugh a little. You know you want to."

"What about _'join Link for a few hundred push-ups immediately afterward'_ makes you think I want to laugh?"

"Oh come on, you know full well he didn't actually _mean_ a few hundred. It'll be more like fifty."

"You're not making me feel any better."

He chuckled. "You'll happily spar with a captain but the second anyone even alludes to push-ups, you're done."

"I don't have a problem with push-ups," I muttered as I navigated my way past two people who were running slower than I was. Ivan sighed exasperatedly before speeding up himself in an effort to keep up with my pace so we could continue talking. We weren't supposed to talk, but I was already in trouble and it wasn't like Cirillo could hear us from across the yard.

…I hope.

"Then why were you complaining about it two seconds ago?"

I kept my head down. "I'm just tired."

"We're all tired," he argued. "Though you did seem kind of restless when I got up this morning."

My eyes narrowed. "You said I looked peaceful at breakfast."

"Yeah, Link, I'm not sure if you noticed, but I was taking a dig at you," he told me with a small smile. "So, what, bad dreams again?"

My thoughts drifted back to the nightmare. "Something like that."

"Don't let it bother you. Half the time they don't mean anything."

I thought about the man and the sword impaling him and shivered a little. I wish I could agree with him, but my dreams – the one I had last night, at least – they _do_ mean something. Probably something important. And I'm not entirely sure I'm going to like what it is.

"Quit looking so tense. You had a nightmare, it's not the end of the world," Ivan said in a vague effort to cheer me up.

I can't say it worked particularly well.

Rather than say something snappy and sarcastic like I would usually be inclined to do, I said nothing and ran on ahead. From that point on, everyone remained largely silent as we continued running laps of the training yard while Cirillo screamed various insults that I think were intended to motivate us.

I can't say that worked particularly well, either.

Being yelled at and told I'm a pathetic waste of space isn't going to make me run faster. It might encourage me to punch someone in the face, but run faster? Not if my life depended on it.

Funny, my life kind of does depend on it.

I'm forever torn between wanting to do well and not wanting to stand out. On one hand, I really need to do well if I want to have a chance of a future in the army – or make that a future at _all._ On the other, I really, _really_ don't want to draw attention to myself and so get politely encouraged to stay in the armed forces forever. It sounds kind of paradoxical. It…probably is.

I don't consider staying because I love this life so much. I consider staying because, truthfully, I don't have anything to go back to.

No family means no support and so no opportunity to learn a trade. Consequently, no alternate options for employment beyond the five compulsory years here.

Equals; a lifetime of indentured servitude.

As everyone else finished up their laps, I immediately dropped to the ground and started doing push-ups. I might as well get used to it. Something tells me my future is going to involve a disproportionate amount of strenuous physical exercise; whether it's through or training or actual missions remains to be seen. It'll in all likelihood be a mix of both.

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life Link, I thought dully.

"Link! Get your sorry ass over here!" I heard Cirillo's voice suddenly bark at me from across the yard.

Confused but relieved I was being spared from having to do some impossible number of push-ups, I got up and made my way over to the rest of my company stood, stepping into my place in line. Cirillo waited for a couple of seconds before going off to talk another captain. My eyes narrowed and I tried to work out what was going on, with little avail. I threw a confused look at Ivan, who quickly deduced what I was wondering and leaned into me so he could give me a run-down of the situation.

"Some high ranking general has come here to check things out, apparently," he murmured. "It's a big deal because he basically controls the entire military and is a close advisor to the king."

I opened my mouth to ask a question, but immediately thought better of it. Instead I gave him a curt nod and continued to stand there, formal and to attention, along with everyone else.

They seemed to be making an unnecessarily huge deal out of this. I guess they had a good reason. It's not every day a high ranking general and one of the king's closest advisers decides to grace the barracks and lowlifes who reside there with his presence.

After what somehow managed to seem like as eternity and no time at all, the captains stopped talking amongst themselves and stood to attention along with the rest of us poor privates, ready to receive who I was starting to believe was the most important man in the world – other than the king, but he hadn't graced the world with his presence in ten years, having holed himself up in the fortress of Hyrule Castle all this time.

The general stepped out, and my eyes immediately widened in surprise at the sight of him.

He was tall, impossibly so, standing something like two full feet taller than me and surprisingly graceful given his build – making barely a sound as he walked, despite being clad in full armour and in all his fineries. He wasn't a Hylian, I noted quickly. He can't have been Hylian, not even close. There's not a person of Hylian blood in this entire country that looks like that. I stared for a long while, fascinated. I'd never seen someone who wasn't of my own race before. I hadn't pinned the king as someone who even tolerates other races, let alone allows one to control the country's military, which most people would say is the only thing preventing a full-on revolt.

After all, wasn't keeping the other races out and so preventing further civil war exactly why the Hyrule Wall was built in the first place?

He wasn't like anyone I'd ever seen before.

And yet…_exactly_ like someone I'd seen before.

I know him.

Don't I?

Suddenly he stopped and turned on one foot, gazing over at us with an unreadable expression. My hand immediately started itching. I clenched my fist and tried to ignore it, at least until he looked away. He scanned each of us like he was searching for something and there was a deathly silence for what seemed like far too long. It seemed like everyone around me immediately tensed under his gaze – so I wasn't the only one who felt intimidated by him. Good to know.

One of the captains drew his attention away from us, engaging him in a conversation I couldn't hear properly. I could hear a disturbingly familiar low, harsh voice; not rasping and faint, but strong and confident. It was still the same voice. It was so familiar, I felt like I could recognise it anywhere, at any time.

He's…

Was it him?

In the dream? The man who died? Wasn't that him?

How can it have been him? He's still very much alive.

So what was the dream, then? A premonition? A small glimpse at what is to come? Does my life involve killing generals now? It wasn't a premonition. It can't have been. I can't even imagine a chain of events that would end in me doing something like that. Patrols and reconnaissance missions are one thing. Actually killing a man…I'm not sure if I'm entirely prepared for that. Especially not a general who looks easily twice my size.

All of a sudden, I feel sick.

Finally, the general, the incredibly well respected high ranking general that I stabbed through the chest and watched die in a dream, stalked off, most if not all of the higher ranked officers falling into step behind him and filing out of the yard. We were dismissed, and the moment we were, I lost my balance, staggering and almost falling into the person behind me. Someone grabbed my collar and pulled me back to my feet before I could hit the ground.

"You alright?" Ivan asked me worriedly. "Link?"

I didn't respond. I couldn't bring myself to. Ivan ended up carrying, half dragging me back inside, constantly asking what was wrong without me ever answering. I was overcome with mixed emotions, washing over each other and drowning each other out so such a point it was difficult to pick out any one thing.

Rage. Hate. Desperation. Anguish.

Everything I felt in the dream.

What's wrong with me?

Why does my subconscious feel the need to torture me like this?

How can I dream about killing a man I've never met, or even _seen_ until a few seconds ago?

If he's real, then the woman must be too. Whoever she is.

Who is she?

Is she important?

Why do I feel like I'm missing out on some absolutely crucial piece of information by not knowing who she is?

People started crowded around me, asking questions. I barely registered them.

"What's his problem?"

"I don't know, he got all weird suddenly. Link? _Link?_ Snap out of it."

I blinked several times, suddenly snapping back into reality. "Wha- …huh?"

Ivan breathed a sigh a relief when I finally responded to him. "Goddess, Link, don't _do_ that. You really scared me there."

There were a couple of seconds as I tried to get a grip on myself again before I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Yeah. Sorry. Don't know what happened. Guess I'm more tired than I thought."

"Well, it seems we have the afternoon off. Maybe you should get some sleep."

I shot him a look. "Thank you, _mother."_

"Just a suggestion, man. You're kind of a wreck – and that was true _before_ you decided to briefly go catatonic."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because it seems to me that you're doing that thing where you say you're fine but really you're not fine at all and end up making some really stupid decisions with dire consequences that could've been avoided if you'd just said that you weren't fine in the first place."

My eyes narrowed. "When have I ever done that?"

"Do you _really_ want me to go through that list? Because we'll be here for a while. I mean, there was that time you insisted you were fine before passing out and I had to literally _drag_ your unconscious butt to the infirmary. You got us stuck on kitchen duty for a month. Not to mention that _other_ time…"

I gritted my teeth. "It's nothing to worry about."

"Like I said, you're doing the thing."

"Ivan. I'm okay."

"Yep, definitely doing the thing."

"I'm not doing the thing."

"Link, you're doing the thing," he told me seriously. "I can tell when you're doing the thing and right now you are doing the thing. I'd tell you _not_ to do the thing, but then you'll do that other thing where you don't listen and inadvertently cause the world to end."

A loud, exasperated groan escaped me. "Look, Ivan, it's nothing. I'm just tired and I had a nightmare last night, but other than that, I'm totally okay."

"Uh huh. This dream involve the general somehow?"

I froze. "I- …how did you…?"

"Lucky guess."

"How can you just _guess_ something like that?"

He shrugged. "You seemed to just shut down when you saw him. I made a deduction. Nothing special or fancy. Get over it. Let's go inside, yeah?"

Slowly, I nodded, following back inside the barracks, not really knowing what to think or make of this situation. If it even was a situation. Maybe Ivan was right. Maybe the dream didn't mean anything, and I'm just blowing everything out of proportion. Maybe I saw a picture of the general or something before, and I just don't remember it. Still doesn't explain anything.

What happened to me? Life didn't used to be like this. Things used to make sense. It wasn't this confusing before.


	3. Chapter Three

It's dark, save for the flickering light cast by the spot fires in an around the debris of the collapsed tower before me. Silence pervades the air, broken only by the sound of my own ragged breath and the quiet yet somehow panicked breath of another. I turn and sure enough, there's a young woman standing there, smiling at me weakly and looking relieved. I smile back, even though I don't know her. I feel like I should. I've seen her before. I know I have.

No. Not her. Not exactly.

Another her. A different her. Some other version of the same woman.

But not this one.

There's a rustle. She's scared. She asks me what it was. I immediately move to check, sword drawn. I don't know why I'm so tense. Nothing could have survived a huge stone monolith like that collapsing while they were still inside. I know it. I'm _sure_ of it.

I also know that's wishful thinking. He doesn't die. He doesn't _ever_ die. Even if he did finally find his way to a grave, he'd also find some way to claw his way back to life, back to a full, corporeal existence. That's what he does. He rises up to take over the world, I fight him, she fixes all the damage caused, and everything is left to start again.

A wall of flames leap up behind me, and while I'm startled enough by their sudden appearance to turn around to look at them, I'm not overly surprised. Deep down, I expected this kind of thing to happen. I turn back, gripping my sword tighter as the rubble blows away and he rises up, panting and gasping but still very much alive. He displays a clenched fist. There's something glowing on his hand, I can't tell what it is.

There's a violent blast of light and all of a sudden he's screaming, screaming like he's in absolute agony while somehow laughing like a total maniac. It's like he's gone completely insane and now the only thing he cares about now is ending me, no matter the cost. Whatever is happening to him, he's doing it to himself in a last ditch effort to achieve some small victory. I take a few steps back and watch on in horror as his body warps and twists into some kind of unthinkable abomination that was never meant to exist.

I can hear the sound of his bones cracking; I can see his skin ripping itself apart as his muscles bulge, twist and warp before knitting back together again. It's unnerving and terrifying and I can see every detail, as if the fact that he's doing this to himself isn't bad enough in of itself.

The thing is roaring and thrashing around, and before I can even get a grip on reality my sword is knocked out of my hand and sent flying, burying itself into the ground beyond the impassable wall of fire.

For the first time, I'm afraid. I see the monster in front of me and I'm legitimately terrified.

The beast rises up from the ashes of its fallen stronghold, monstrous and ghastly in every way something can be. I stagger from the shock of seeing such a thing, grabbing desperately for something, _anything_ I can use as weapon. I'm knocked on the ground and I'm crawling backwards, away from this thing towering over me.

It roars so loudly the very ground beneath my feet shakes from the sheer force of the screeching, grating sound.

I get to my feet and keep moving back as it looms ominously over me, ready to annihilate me. It's over. I'm staring into the face of death and I know it.

My fists clench.

Frightened or not, about to die or not, I have to defeat it.

I _have_ to.

I don't have a choice anymore.

My eyes snapped open, and suddenly I was staring at the darkened ceiling.

Another dream.

How many am I going to have?

I rolled over, buried my face in my pillow and tried to return to sleep. It was still pitch black outside, so there wasn't much to gain in staying up. I hate waking up in the middle of the night. Getting back to sleep is another hassle I really don't need right now. I have too much on my mind already, such as powerful, influential generals second only to the king that tend to feature in my dreams and the fact that there's a woman I have to assume is just as real out there somewhere who tends to be present as well.

Who _is_ she, exactly? Why is she always there? What do the dreams mean in the first place? Are they trying to warn me? Or am I simply over thinking everything, blowing it all completely out of proportion and there really isn't anything to worry about at all?

I shifted restlessly for what seemed like forever before deciding that I wasn't getting back to sleep any time soon. As quickly and quietly as possible, I got up and made my way out of the room, deciding that maybe going for a short walk around the barracks would clear my head. It's late, there shouldn't be any guards to tell me to get back to the dorms. They always retire around midnight, and I'm reasonably confident it's past that.

I looked up aimlessly at the night sky, letting out a long exhale. What am I doing? Why am I even here? I don't know. I don't think I ever did. It's just now things aren't making sense and I'm actually noticing it.

The silence was broken suddenly by a rustle, followed by footsteps. I whipped around just in time to see a shadow dart across the darkened wall and immediately went to investigate. Either it was someone else walking around due to not being able to sleep – doubtful – or it was someone who was not supposed to be here.

As quickly and quietly as I could manage, I made my way over in the direction the shadow had gone. I probably shouldn't be doing this without a weapon. But who says I have to confront them immediately? Whoever they are, whatever their intention, I can't rule out the idea that they might be harmless.

Harmless, and breaking into the barracks? Unlikely. The only reason a civilian would break into this place would be to get their hands on weapons. That usually signals malicious intent.

Slowly, cautiously, I peered around the corner to find a hooded and cloaked figure shuffling around, apparently looking for something. They were breathing lightly, frantically, quietly whispering under their breath. A girl, judging on voice alone. She didn't appear to have any weapons – and the armoury was on the opposite side of the complex. If anything, the place she was trying to get into was the kitchen.

Starving, then. I suppressed the almost overwhelming desire to groan exasperatedly. I can't turn in someone who's starving and desperate. It goes against all my views, all my morals, everything I live by. But I can't just stand around and let them take what they want, either. The second you allow one person to slip through the cracks, you yourself are held accountable for their actions. Not to mention that kind of behaviour is what eventually brings down nations and destroys worlds.

Or so everyone would have me believe. It's not something I'm willing to risk in order to find out whether or not it's true.

I stepped out into the light. "You shouldn't be here."

She bit back a small scream and staggered backwards in surprise, tripping on the hem of her cloak and falling backwards, swearing loudly. The blade of a small knife glinted in the light briefly. My eyes narrowed as I noticed it. It wasn't a serious weapon by any means, and was probably what she planned to use to pick the lock. It certainly wasn't the kind of thing she could do any real damage with. I leaned against the wall and watched her impassively as she tried to recollect herself, ripping off her hood and glaring up at me.

"What do you think you're doing? You scared me half to death!"

She was surprisingly unperturbed given the fact that I'd walked in on her committing what some would interpret as a serious crime.

"_You're_ the one breaking and entering," I pointed out dryly. "How did you get in here?"

She was dirtier and generally more unkempt than I thought she'd be, she clearly hadn't had a proper wash in some time. Her hair had been cut short, though it appears to have grown out a little since. Her clothes were old, tattered and worn, and she generally looked homeless. She probably was. People don't usually pretend to look like a vagrant when staying alive requires you to be a productive member of society.

Homeless, and breaking into the barracks? She's practically _asking_ to be executed.

She folded her arms and looked away. "If you simply _must_ know, I climbed over the wall."

My eyes widened in surprise. "You _climbed- _it's fifteen feet high!"

"Really? Huh. Didn't seem that high to me."

I ignored that. "Not to mention you could've been caught."

She shrugged. "What does it matter if I'm caught? They'll throw me in prison, so what?"

Goddess. She's not from here. She _can't_ be from here. She's obviously Hylian, but there is no way she's local to the capital. Odds are she's probably from some distant village on the edge of the country, next to the Hyrule Wall or something. That's the only explanation for how ridiculously ignorant she is.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed exasperatedly. "Do you even realise where you are?"

She looked around briefly, as though she wasn't actually sure of the answer. Eventually, she faced me yet again.

"The army barracks," she remarked. "So?"

"_So, _if you're caught here, they'll have you executed," I told her. "You need to get out of here if you value your life. Why did you even come? There are places with more, better food that are easier to break into."

She pushed herself to her feet and brushed a bit of dust off her cloak. It didn't help her overall appearance too much. Why she even bothered was beyond me. She desperately needed new clothes, rather than continuing to patch up the ones she had. She seemed to need a lot of things.

"Food?" she repeated vacantly. "…yes. Food. That's exactly why I'm here. Desperation driven by hunger and all that. A lack of an income will do that, and pickpocketing gets so _old_ after a while."

Definitely homeless, then.

"And you came to the barracks, _why?"_

She shrugged innocently. "Because it's a new and exciting place I haven't been to, and it has food, so I get to quench my desire for adventure while feeding myself. I can kill two birds with one stone this way. I'm sure you understand."

That is actually the most insane thing I've ever heard.

"I'm sure I don't."

She paid almost no attention to my words what so ever. "In any case, what are _you_ doing here?"

I folded my arms, unimpressed by her argument. "I live here."

Her eyebrows rose a little in apparent surprise. "You're a soldier? You don't look it."

"What I look like doesn't change anything," I argued. "Since when did soldiers have a specific criteria to meet appearance-wise, anyway?"

"You're a soldier. Of _course_ you're a soldier. Just my rotten luck," she grumbled, folding her arms and turning away. "Soldiers. I simply _despise_ soldiers. All they ever do is blindly follow orders, whether they actually agree to what they're being asked to do or not."

My eyes narrowed. "I should turn you in."

A wide grin spread across her face. "But you won't."

"You don't know that."

"If you were going to rat me out, you would've done it already," she told me, the grin still plastered across her face. "Either you're too scared to wake your commanding officer at this time of night or you're having a crisis of morality. I'd bet on the latter, what about you?"

"What makes you so sure about that?"

The grin quickly morphed into a crooked smile. "You don't strike me as the kind of person who would arrest a girl for starving. And therein lies your problem. If you let me go, I'll just end up stealing more and more as time goes on due to not having the needed funds to support myself, and you _know_ it."

"Oh for crying out loud- _here,"_ I muttered, pressing a fistful of rupees into her hand. "I'm _giving_ you the needed funds to feed yourself. Buy yourself some food. Stay at the inn. Do whatever you want. Just do yourself a favour and _don't_ come back here."

She stared transfixed at the money in her hand, apparently in shock. "That…that's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

I stopped, a little put off by her words. I don't know why I was so surprised by that one statement, I can't imagine life has been very easy for her if she's climbing fifteen foot high walls and breaking into the army barracks in search of food. Maybe it was the actual acknowledgement of the fact that threw me. I don't know. I couldn't say for sure. I'd never met anyone like her.

"Would they really execute me?" she asked abruptly, pulling me out of my train of thought. "Seems a bit like the punishment drastically outweighs the crime."

My eyes narrowed. "You aren't from here, are you?"

She smiled a little. "I'm not really from _anywhere,_ soldier. I'm a drifter. Life's more fun that way."

"You're going to get yourself killed living that way."

"Oh, and always obeying the rules and living in fear won't? That's how people really die. They die on the inside, giving up any semblance of _actual_ life. I plan to live, you know. To have new experiences. Adventure, and all that. I owe her that much."

"Owe who what now?"

She didn't seem to hear me. "You could too, you know. You could live. Be brave. Go out on your own sometime. Explore the prosperous and bountiful land the goddesses have blessed you with. Live a little, soldier boy."

She doesn't make any sense. Nothing about her makes sense. She's clearly completely out of her mind and I have no idea how she has managed to get this far without getting killed.

I sighed.

"You should really get out of here while you can. Oh and, do yourself a favour and stay well away from the military from now on, yeah? They're not the kind of people you want associate with."

She smiled crookedly. "You know, you seem to hate the military a lot for someone who's in it. Seems a little hypocritical, if you ask me."

"I was conscripted," I told her bluntly. "I have to serve. I don't have a choice."

"No, that's not true," she insisted. "You do have a choice. We _all_ have a choice. You've just made yours, and it's up to you to decide whether or not you made the right one."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ah, do I have to spell everything out to you? If you don't like where you are, just leave. There's nothing stopping you."

"Apart from the threat of a lashing and getting branded as a deserter."

"Only if you get _caught,"_ she told me in a singsong tone. "Really, you ought to try it. Be reckless. Break a rule, or twenty."

I stood in stunned silence as her smile broadened to a grin and she gave me a little mock salute.

"Well, I guess I should take your advice and go. We won't see each other again. Thanks for the money and not ratting me out to your superiors, I _greatly _appreciate it."

She turned to go, making a couple of steps before abruptly halting in her tracks. She remained in that position, dead still for what seemed like a disproportionate amount of time. The air was still and silent and she didn't move, seemingly frozen in place. I stepped forward and was about to ask if she was okay when she suddenly whirled around to face me, eyes wide and grinning like a maniac.

"What's your name, soldier boy?"

I jumped a little at the abrupt question. "I- uh…Link. It's Link."

She grinned a wide, toothy grin that was really unsettling. _"Link,_ huh? That's a good name. Interesting. _Fascinating,_ actually."

My eyes narrowed at little at her sudden change in demeanour. She's so…unsettling. Everything about her seems wrong somehow. She didn't give me much time to think about it.

"Well then, Army Private Link, it was nice meeting you. Very nice. And such. I'd best be off…but I'll be seeing you. I'll definitely be seeing you."

With that, she promptly turned heel and started to go. Although my head was swimming with countless questions, I couldn't bring myself to say anything. After a couple of seconds of struggle, I managed to find my voice.

"Wait!" I called, pulling her back. She turned to face me, eyes wide and expectant. "Who…who are you?"

The grin was back, every bit as unsettling as it had been before. "Who am _I?_ I'm a ghost, Link. We're all ghosts, after all. But if you're looking for my name, it's Celida."

What does that even _mean?_ Why does nothing she say make any sense?

"Oh, and Link?"

My head snapped up at the sound of my name. "Yeah?"

"You've done me a great kindness, so allow me to return the favour a little by giving you some advice – you'll be wanting to stay well away from that general. He's not a particularly pleasant man."

And with that, she turned heel and walked off, quickly disappearing into the surrounding darkness.

I blinked in surprise. "The gen- you know about the general? W-wait! How do you know about the general?!"

There was no reply.

She was already long gone.


	4. Chapter Four

"You're up early," Ivan noted as he saw me sitting up in bed, still mulling over everything that girl – Celida – had said last night. "Especially considering it's the weekend."

I jumped a little in surprise at the sound of his voice before looking around wildly with heavily bloodshot eyes. I hadn't even noticed it was morning. There goes my plan to get back to sleep. I don't know why I care so much about what she said. The girl was out of her mind to say the least. For some reason I can't stop thinking about her and what she said. About the general, about the idea of desertion, about what life really is. I wonder where she is now. I wonder if she took my advice to go an inn. I wonder if she used the money I gave her to skip town. She might've. I'm not sure why I care.

"Link? Hey. Link. _Link?"_

I blinked several times and looked over at Ivan. "What?"

He shook his head. "Quit spacing out on me like that. You're starting to seriously worry me."

I mumbled a brief apology before sliding out of bed and pulling on some proper clothes – by which I mean my uniform because that's the only set of proper clothes I have. It's the weekend. Thank the goddesses. I'm not sure I have the mental capacity to last through a full training session. I'm not sure I quite have the mental capacity to make it through _breakfast,_ frankly. There's just too much on my mind at the moment. Too much to think about. Too many things that confuse me more than they have any right to. My dreams never used to be this ominous, I'm sure of that. They never used to be this vivid.

I'm sure my distinct lack of sleep last night didn't help much.

Maybe the reason I keep having nightmares is because my subconscious doesn't want me to sleep peacefully for the rest of my life. Why that would be, I have no idea, but it's the best theory I have right now.

…more like it's the _only_ theory I have right now.

There seemed to be a lot of people running around frantically for some unknown reason as the two of us made our way downstairs to the dining hall. After I was nearly taken out by an absent minded passer-by for the third time, I elected to stick to the wall, throwing Ivan a confused look.

"Did something happen?"

Ivan shrugged. "I heard Cirillo say something about there being a break-in and vandalism last night, maybe that's it?"

I stiffened.

A break-in? Last night? Vandalism?

_Celida._

It must've been. There's no way we had two separate break-ins in one night. That just doesn't happen, ever. It's too heavily guarded and generally too hard to get into. It had to have been her. She's the only person I know of crazy enough to scale the wall in the dead of night, _and_ make note of her presence, though she hadn't initially struck me as a vandal. I thought she was better than that. She _is_ better than that. Since when did she get reduced to something as petty as vandalism? It's not like her.

…what am I even thinking? I knew the girl for all of a few minutes, during which she managed to convince me that she's not all there. I don't know anything about her, aside from a few small observations. That she's a vagrant. That she's impoverished. That she doesn't seem to mind either of those things. That's about all I gaged. Point is, I don't know her. I know nothing about her.

Dammit, I thought I told her to get _out,_ not vandalise the barracks. Although, other than the vandalism, there doesn't seem to be any sign that she was ever here at all. Still, she's very quickly making me regret letting her go. Just looking for something to eat my _ass._ Why did I just assume that's what she was up to? Why did I let myself get deceived by her? Am I really that gullible?

Ugh, I'm such an _idiot._

"…everyone's all worked up over it because the perpetrator wasn't caught and the general is still here so it's kind of a big deal, I guess," Ivan said.

Apparently he'd been talking this whole time.

The second we reached the dining hall, I noticed a large crowd gathered in the training yard. Almost immediately I decided I wasn't hungry and opted to skip breakfast before heading out, Ivan trailing behind me, apparently curious about it himself.

The vast majority of the crowd was composed of other trainees and privates whom the officers had failed to scare away. I made my way through the chattering crowd, and looked up at the huge letters that adorned the wall, partly embarrassed that I didn't see this coming, partially impressed that Celida had managed to do this without anyone noticing. It looked like a lot of time and effort went into it.

There, on the wall, scrawled in dark red paint that was highly reminiscent of blood, _someone_ – who I was going to assume had been Celida because there is literally no one else to suspect – had written the words _down with the tyrant _followed by _Hyrule rises,_ signed off with what I figured was a Triforce symbol.

I haven't seen anyone use that symbol in a long, _long_ time. There's a slight taboo around using it, since it has a long history of being the sign of paganism. Use of the symbol is pretty much banned in every way except officially, mostly because to most of us, pagans are few, far between, and usually a little bit nuts.

Figures she's a pagan.

Why would she sign it off like that, though? What was she trying to achieve? Why graffiti the wall at all? Why advertise her presence here? Is it some kind of taunt? I got over your fifteen foot high wall with no trouble, so suck on that? Why doesn't she just _write_ that?

Why do I get the distinct feeling she's going to be a far bigger part of my life than some girl I happened to run into once?

I turned to look at Ivan quizzically, who shrugged.

I don't suppose she's in any real danger. I'm the only one who saw her and she's not local. She may have even skipped town since doing it. Still. I can't help but worry over whether or not they'll work out who did it.

_Why_ am I worried about her? Did we really bond that much in those few minutes we were talking?

"Someone must really hate the king," I said quietly.

"But to break into the barracks and graffiti the wall? And _not_ get caught doing it?" Ivan asked. "Whoever they are, they're good. _Really _good."

"Not to mention totally insane."

"Aren't all pagans a little bit…_off,_ though?" he asked mostly himself.

I opted to feign ignorance. "Pagan? Because of the Triforce symbol?"

A pagan who's braver than me. Braver than anyone else in this entire city, or even the whole freaking _nation_ if she's willing to risk everything including her life and lives of everyone around her just to scrawl a message on the wall of the barracks. Either she's the bravest person in all of Hyrule, or she's the most _idiotic_ person in all of Hyrule and the lands beyond.

"Yeah, obviously. Who else would use that symbol? Ever?"

I looked at him opened my mouth to say something, but thought better of it when the general – who was still here for some unknown reason – stepped out into the yard, his eyes briefly scanning the graffiti. I immediately shrank back against the wall without realising what I was doing, Celida's warning echoing throughout my head. She told me to avoid him, and I wasn't idiot enough to ignore that advice, even if she _was__n't_ all together. Though it begs the question of how she knew about him in the first place. And how she knew he was here. And that I'd encountered him before. Nothing about that girl makes any sense.

She must've had a reason why she felt compelled to warn me.

The same reason why she felt the need to graffiti the wall, maybe?

I doubt it.

But she was right, that general _is_ bad news. I know he is. I can tell just by looking at him; he makes my skin crawl.

I watched silently as the general read what had been written on the wall, a small smile tugging at his lips. After a couple of seconds, he started scanning the crowd much like he had yesterday, his eyes lingering on me for just a fraction of a second longer than everyone else. I paled under his gaze and immediately felt sick. He turned back to Celida's note, his eyes never leaving the Triforce symbol.

"Pagan garbage. Get it off the wall," he barked at the captain closest to him, who immediately acknowledged the order and scurried off to carry it out, or find someone else of a lower ranking to do it.

Without another word, he turned heel and stalked off, vanishing inside. I staggered out of the crowd and leaned heavily on the wall, feeling as though I was seconds away from throwing up. I felt drained, like I had no energy left – to the point I could hardly keep myself standing. Dammit, why does this always happen to me? Why do I always feel so weird around that general? What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _him?_ Is he as unsettling as I think, or is this all in my head? Am I losing my grip on reality? Did I actually meet a girl called Celida last night or was that just a weird hallucination on my part?

Continuous nightmares, intimidating generals, strange vagrant girls…these past couple of days have been more interesting and generally eventful than every other day of my life combined.

…probably not. But they're up there.

And I _still_ don't know who the woman in the dream is supposed to be. I don't know if she's a real person or a representation of something in my subconscious. I don't know if I'm supposed to recognise her. Maybe she's someone I've met before.

No. I'd remember meeting someone like that. That I'm _sure_ of.

My hand started itching. I ignored it.

Ivan came over to see if I was okay, but I waved him off. "I'm fine. I'm _fine,_ Ivan."

I'm not fine.

I'm not anywhere _near_ fine.

Why can't I just _say_ that?

His eyes narrowed at little at my uncharacteristically harsh tone. "Seems like every time the general is in your vicinity, you shut down."

What's wrong with me?

I can't even bring myself to think clearly.

"It's nothing."

"Do you know him?"

My head jerked to one side in some vain attempt to rid myself of the cloud of thoughts that prevented me from gaging anything around me properly.

_Do_ I know him?

Yes?

_No._

…I don't know.

I can't tell.

"No. I've never met him."

"Then why-?"

"It's really not that important."

"Of course it's import-"

"Just _leave it,_ Ivan!" I screamed so loudly everyone else in the yard immediately went dead silent and turned to me, trying to see what the commotion was all about.

Oh…_goddess._

Ivan pulled back, looking confused and a little hurt. Part of me wanted to apologise for snapping at him. The rest of me couldn't care less. Without saying another word, I turned and headed back to the dorms. It's an opportunity I rarely get anymore. I just…need to be alone. I need to get away. From everyone, everything. Clear my head. Try to think through everything in a calm and reasonable manner. I don't know. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do.

Someone, please, for the love of everything, tell me what I'm supposed to do now.

I never used to wonder about what lay beyond the wall. I never spared a thought for what was out there, the kinds of people that exist outside central Hyrule, the different races that exist other than my own. I believed everything I was told, that the Hyrule Wall was to protect us, to protect Hyrule as a nation; that the outside world is full of dangers that not even the bravest and most skilled warriors can face. We were safe behind our walls, under the thumb of the military, and without these things we would lose the precious sanctuary which is the only thing between us and another civil war, between us and ultimately, oblivion.

Now all it takes is a conversation with _one_ girl and suddenly I'm questioning all of that. When I look at the city and the fields that extend out until they hit the wall, I don't see a utopian sanctuary anymore. All I see now is rats in a cage, and I'm starting to wonder how I ever fell for the pretences in the first place. It's a façade. All of it. Nothing is going to get better, not on its own. Maybe Celida knows that.

Suddenly I'm thinking about all these things that never bothered me before.

Dammit. I was never going to live a long, happy, peaceful life in which I remained blissfully ignorant of all the crap going on in the world, was I?

Was that ever even an option for me?

I could feel everyone's gazes on my back, and did my best to ignore them. I knew why they were staring.

Link? Acting out? That doesn't happen. Ever. He's so quiet and obedient normally.

I'll…explain later. I'll come up with some excuse when I'm actually able to think of something. When I can handle a proper conversation without feeling like my head is about to split in two. Or like my hand is on fire, because it itches so badly.

I stopped in my tracks and started rubbing the back of my hand incessantly, growing increasingly irritated. Is there any aspect of my being that _isn't_ being weird and confusing for no apparent reason?

The moment this thought crossed my mind, there was a sudden blast of heat. I whipped around just in time to see fire shoot out of every one of the dormitory windows, before the entire building blew up.

The sheer force of the explosion knocked me off my feet and I was sent straight to the ground, landing hard on my back. For a few seconds I didn't move, hearing nothing but a faint ringing. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, and slowly, _very slowly, _I started to hear other things. People were screaming, their voices muffled, incoherent and barely audible. The ringing grew louder than anything, so much so I couldn't bring myself to focus on anything else. I tried to push myself upright, but only managed to roll over onto my side. Everything was slow, hazy, barely there.

Pain shot through me, seeming to come from anywhere and everywhere. I gasped from the sheer extent of it and clawed blindly at the ground as stone rubble and fire shot up into the sky only to come raining back down again. The vague thudding of footsteps grew closer and closer until I was suddenly surrounded by shadowy, blurry figures I could barely make out from the smoke and flaming debris.

"Link? _Link?_ Holy… - he's hurt!"

"What was that? Are we under attack? What do we do?"

"Help me get him to the infirmary! Link? Stay with me buddy. Don't you _dare_ pass out on me, you got that?"

Darkness flickered around the edges of my vision, threatening to take over. I didn't try to fight it. I couldn't even if I had wanted to.

"There are people in there!"

"Forget about them, they're dead!"

I closed my eyes, unable to keep them open anymore.

"Link? C'mon, don't do this to me. Answer me. _Link?"_


	5. Chapter Five

I was seven years old when it happened. Everyone seemed to be in the streets, yelling, screaming, and parading around the city under the setting sun. Everything had been so normal that morning. No one could have known what would happen the moment darkness began to fall. No one could have predicted the dangerous change that took place in the minds of the public, when people decided that diplomacy and politics wasn't going to make anything better, that it was pointless, that it was _all_ pointless. No one knew that what started out as a relatively peaceful protest like countless others that had happened so many times before would take such a harsh, violent turn into a full blown riot.

What sparked it still remains a mystery. Maybe it was the rebels, the people who wanted to burn everything to the ground and start over completely anew. Maybe they wanted to create a diversion that would allow them to enter the castle unnoticed. Maybe there was some small scuffle between two people that grew out of control. Maybe the protest had been planned that way. Maybe it was destined to happen. No one knows, and honestly, no one cares. No one ever cared. Point is, it happened, and everything changed.

The streets were ravaged. Carts were overturned and burned. Windows were smashed, weapons and produce was looted, and buildings were destroyed. Everywhere there were people running, holding torches and using them as weapons, struggling and fighting against the soldiers that had been sent out to stop them, screaming for the heads of the monarch and rest of the Royal Family. And meanwhile, I hid. I was alone, quiet, hiding away in my own little corner, listening to everything that was going on outside, silently praying, begging and pleading to all the gods I knew of, pagan and otherwise, that I wouldn't be found.

I guess the gods, pagan and otherwise, listened.

I wish I could've done something. Logic and reason assure me that if I'd tried, I would've died along with everyone else who tried to do something, to stop the rioting masses. I was just a kid at the time. I couldn't have been expected to do anything. Somehow, that doesn't stop me from feeling immense guilt about it all. It doesn't stop me from feeling that I could have, that I _should_ have done something while it was happening, not hide away and wait until it was all over.

Hyrule Castle was stormed, and taken over by a small army of rebels, led by two powerful, charismatic men – one who would become a general, one who would become a king.

By the time the sun rose again, the city was little more than a ghost town. Broken bodies littered the ground, the weapons used to kill them laying discarded. Blood sat in still pools in the streets. The severed heads of most, if not all those loyal to Royal Family – including almost the entire population of Sheikah, a tribe of people who had served the family for as long as anyone could remember – had been mounted on spikes in a gruesome display of power.

When I finally brought myself to stop and come out of hiding that morning, the first thing I saw was the stripped, beaten, cut, bruises and partly dismembered corpses of the king, the queen, and the princess were hanging outside the castle gates, their wounds still fresh, blood trickling down and dripping onto the ground.

And everyone cheered.

"Ugh…what…where…?" a voice rasped.

My voice.

Since when it did hurt this much to speak?

Since when did I sound like that?

"Link?" I heard a familiar voice call my name urgently.

I forced my eyes open, almost immediately closing them again to avoid being outright blinded by the light. Everything seemed to ache somehow. There was a dull throbbing in the back of my head, and a sharp pain in my chest. I groaned, utterly disorientated.

Where…?

Where am I?

How did I get here?

Why don't I remember how I got here?

What happened to me?

Finally, with a faint grunt, I opened my eyes again, this time managing to adjust to the light. Everything was vague and hazy, sliding in and out of focus until I managed to gain enough clarity of vision to see Ivan sitting beside me, looking down with a worried expression. There was a cut on his lip and a thin trail of dried blood ran down the side of his face. My eyes widened slightly.

He's hurt?

What _happened?_

"Nice to see you awake again," he greeted me pleasantly.

I blinked several times and tried to sit up. "I-Ivan? You're- …ah, ow…"

"Easy," Ivan murmured, gently pushing me back down. "Don't move too much. You're damn lucky you're even alive."

Alive? I'm lucky to be _alive?_

My brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you even- …wait. This- this is the infirmary."

"Yeah, of course it is. We couldn't get you to the hospital, it was too dangerous."

"…dangerous?" I repeated dully.

"We thought you were going to die, Link," he told me seriously. "Moving you would've lessened your chances of survival. We didn't want to risk it."

I blinked again and tried to assess the situation. I don't remember coming here. How did I get here? Why am I here at all? Did something happen? I was feeling kind of ill before, did I pass out and get taken to the infirmary? It wouldn't be the first time that's happened, although it has been a while. I don't feel ill now, though. My throat is dry and my lips are cracked and its hurts when I breathe, but I don't think I'm ill. Not in that sense. Besides, I didn't think I'd been feeling on the verge of death like Ivan just told me I was.

"…did something happen to me?" I asked after a brief silence. "Did I get injured?"

A small smile played on Ivan's lips. "You're the one who got caught in that blast, you tell me."

Blast? What?

"What?"

His face fell. "Don't you remember?"

I shook my head, only to wince as it felt like someone was driving a blunt knife into my skull.

"Not…not really."

He looked away. "I guess you _did _hit your head pretty hard, and it was kind of a traumatic experience. You know, I'd heard about people who forgot their entire lives after going through a trauma, but you don't seem like you've forgotten your whole life, so it's probably not the same thing-"

"Ivan. You're rambling."

He grinned a little sheepishly. "Sorry. I'm freaked out."

"Why? What happened?"

"There…was some kind of bomb. Someone rigged the entire dormitory building with explosives and blew it up. You…kind of got caught up in the blast. We were completely blindsided."

I gaped at him. An explosion? There was an _explosion?_ Someone purposely _blew up_ the dormitories? Why? Why would anyone do something like that? More importantly, why don't I remember any of this?

It's probably just what Ivan said. Head trauma.

_"…what?"_

"I know it sounds crazy. It _is_ crazy. Worst part is, we have no idea who it was, or how they managed to pull it off without getting caught. Presumably it was our graffiti artist…which would make it Hyrule's first real terrorist attack. Just when you were worried the army wasn't needed and we'd been conscripted for no reason. How's that for good timing?"

He's trying to make light of what seems like a pretty heavy, serious situation, and I didn't want to drag him down, so I didn't comment. It's how he deals with it when bad stuff happens.

A terrorist attack, though? An actual, real, proper terrorist attack? That doesn't happen. That just doesn't ever happen. Hyrule hasn't been attacked in something like four centuries. Not since the Hyrule Wall was built. The whole reason it was built in the first place was to shield the country and all the people in it from the civil wars that grew from disputes with the other races that had been raging for who knows how long beforehand. That's the reason why we cut ourselves off from the rest of the world in the first place. It was to stop this kind of thing. It doesn't make any sense for us to be attacked now.

And by a _graffiti artist? _What graffiti?

No, wait, I remember that. I remember the graffiti on the wall. I assumed that was Celida. After all, there wasn't anyone to suspect and it was highly unlikely that we had two different people breaking in over the course of one night. In any case, it was just some paint, it was a harmless thing to do. I decided to let it go, to not make her presence here known. I figured she would have skipped town by that point, anyway.

But to _blow up a building?_

She wouldn't.

Would she?

Is she really the kind of person who would do that?

No. No she's not. She can't be. She wouldn't attack the barracks without reason. She's better than that. I _know_ she's better than that.

Do I know her at all?

Is Celida a full blown terrorist? Has she been one this whole time and I just never saw it? Was she lacing the building with explosives when I caught her? She came off a little odd, sure, but she didn't give off any outwardly malicious vibes. She seemed fine. Friendly, even. Did I allow a dangerous terrorist to go free? Am I the one at fault here for not turning her in like I should've done?

Why didn't I turn her in?

I should've turned her in.

Why would a girl who doesn't seem to care about anything be a terrorist? Why would she rig a build with explosives? Where would a girl like her _get_ explosives? How does she know how to handle them at all? Why would she bother warning me about the general if she was only going to try to have me killed in an explosion the next day? Maybe she didn't mean for me to get caught up in it. Was she targeting someone else, then? Who? The general? Is she part of a group, or is she working alone?

A shiver ran up my spine at the thought. I don't know which of those ideas is worse.

"Did everyone get out? Who else was hurt? Are _you_ okay?"

He smiled a little. "I'm fine. Just a couple minor scrapes and bruises. _You're _the one who nearly died."

"What about everyone else? Weren't there other people in the dorms?"

He shook his head and didn't answer.

"Ivan?"

"Don't ask, Link. Just don't," he told me quietly. "You don't want to know. It'll only make you feel guilty for surviving, and trust me, no one needs that right now."

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. "How many people died, Ivan?"

He turned away, saying nothing and blatantly refusing to meet my gaze.

_"Ivan."_

Finally, after an agonising silence, he sighed. "…eighteen."

Eighteen.

_Eighteen._

Ivan kept his head down. "I told you that you didn't want to know."

That's how many lives are now on me because I didn't turn Celida in or alert any of the captains to the fact that she was here the other night. That's what I now have to atone for. No point wasting time with the hope that it was someone else. I know it wasn't someone else. I know it was her. There isn't anyone else to suspect. I have no idea what her reason for doing this is, what motive she could _possibly_ have that would justify going to such drastic lengths. What's her end goal? What is she trying to achieve through this?

All of this, what she's done, it's on me.

If she does something like this again, that'll be on me too.

I can't let this continue.

I need to find her.

I need to stop her.

That much is obvious.

Why would she do something like that? What drives a girl to detonate bombs? Is it a threat? A warning that if she doesn't get what she wants, it'll happen again? Did I somehow manage to befriend and give money to a crazed pagan terrorist?

What _does_ she want? What can she _possibly_ want so much she's willing to put lives at stake?

"How…how long was I out?" I managed, my voice barely above a hoarse whisper. I need a change in subject. Something, anything to take my mind off the fact that I just inadvertently got eighteen innocent people killed.

Ivan shrugged. "A while. No more than a day."

"A _day?"_ I practically screamed. "How can I have been out for that long?"

"You _were_ pretty seriously injured, Link. They only just managed to get you stabilised a little while ago. It's pretty damn impressive that you're alive at all, let alone conscious."

I faced away from him. "I'm a quick healer. I've always been a quick healer."

"A _supernaturally_ quick healer?" he countered, arching an eyebrow. "Because right now, that's what it looks like."

I shrugged and didn't reply, instead busying myself with rubbing my hand, which had begun to itch yet again. It's always the same spot on the same hand. I'd wonder if it means something, but I have too much to deal with and too many unanswered questions already. It's just one little quirk whose origins are going to have to wait. The attack and Celida's probably involvement in it is slightly more important.

"The goddesses sure must love you," Ivan noted quietly. "Anyone else would be dead."

I shuddered a little at the thought of my survival being anything more than a bizarre coincidence. I never believed in deities before, why should I start now? One near death experience isn't going to change my entire perception of life and the world.

"Don't say that," I murmured. "Eighteen. Gods above. _Eighteen_ people are dead."

"It wasn't your fault."

"You don't _know_ that."

"No, Link, I do. I do know that. You're always so fast to blame yourself for everything, it's kind of pathetic. You didn't plant the bomb, you didn't know it was going to happen. All you did was survive when other people didn't. That doesn't make their deaths your fault. No one needs or wants your survivor guilt. It's not helping the situation, unless you can somehow utilise your angst to hunt down whoever was behind the bombings."

I didn't say anything for a brief period of time, debating whether or not I should tell him about Celida and the conversation we had. I should. I need to. Maybe not everything, but someone has to know about it, at least in vague details.

"What if I can?"

"Eh?"

"What if I can find the bomber?"

"Then colour me surprised. You think you know who did it?"

"I think I know who did the graffiti. I have to assume she's responsible for the bombing as well."

Ivan's eyes widened as I said this. _"She?_ You think the bomber is a _girl? _I'm sorry, but do you have _any_ idea how of just how plain _ridiculous_ that sounds?"

"It makes sense, at least."

"No, no it doesn't. Link, be reasonable and _think_ about what you're saying for a moment. The only people who have access to any type of weaponry is, well, us. The army. Which is exclusively male. There's no way a girl knows her way around that kind of equipment. Girls can't be criminal masterminds. It's just not happening."

I turned away, sighing loudly. He's right. Logically, it's highly unlikely that Celida knows how to handle and detonate a bomb like that, and I don't know any way she could've learned how. Maybe she has an accomplice. Maybe there's a group of them. Maybe…just _maybe,_ she's not the one responsible.

I immediately pushed that thought away. Just because I desperately want her to be innocent doesn't make it so.

"How do you know who did the graffiti, anyway?"

I refused to meet his eye. Someone needs to know. I'll never forgive myself if I don't tell anyone. "There was a girl here."

"When?"

"Last- last night? The other night? Just…that night."

He stretched. "And you didn't say anything?"

"She was trying to break into the kitchen. I figured she was looking for food."

"And you just couldn't turn in a pretty girl in need, could you?" Ivan chuckled, before growing very serious all of a sudden. _"Is_ she pretty? Being a suspect behind a terrorist attack is one thing, but let's get down to what really counts – is she hot?"

I shot him a sour look. "Be serious for two seconds, Ivan. _Please. _I'm begging you."

A wide, playful grin spread across his face. "So she _is_ pretty? What's her hair colour?"

"Blonde- oh goddess, I shouldn't have said that."

_"Blonde,_ huh? Just your type then."

"Since when did you decide I'm into blondes?"

"Come _on, _you've _always_ been into blondes. Always."

I gritted my teeth. "May I remind you that we're talking about a _terror suspect_ here?"

"Blonde and a possible terrorist. I _like_ this girl," Ivan continued, paying me no mind. He's having way too much fun with this.

"This is _serious,_ Ivan. People are dead."

He rolled his eyes dramatically and stood up. "I know that, I'm just trying to ease the tension. In any case, you're in no condition to go around chasing blondes around the city."

"She could still be out there. She could be dangerous. _Someone_ has to find her."

"I'll keep a lookout, though it's unlikely she's the one we're looking for. She probably _was_ just looking for food, you know. Some other jackass must've broken in at some other point in the night. I don't suppose your girlfriend has a name?"

"She's not my girlfriend, and if I hear you call her that again I'm going to punch you in the face."

"Alright, alright. Cool it. I'm going to leave you alone now. Try not to die or freak out and disappear for no discernible reason any time soon, yeah?"

I didn't move, but a small smile tugged at my lips in spite of my efforts to remain serious. "I'll do my best."


	6. Chapter Six

There was another explosion the next day, followed by another in a different area of the city the day after that, and yet one more after that. On and on it went, always in different places, always at different times, each time raking up more damage to property and higher death tolls. The barracks weren't attacked again, but that wasn't saying much. All it meant was that the soldiers were relatively safe. People would try to take shelter, but the safe havens would inevitably be targeted themselves. The bomber, whoever they were, obviously knew this city and its citizens very well. Better than most. Certainly better than a relative newcomer such as Celida.

That rules her out, then.

I'm almost embarrassed at how blatantly relieved I am that there's a valid reason to drop her as a suspect.

How could I suspect her in the first place? There's no way a perky vagrant girl with no ties to anyone in the anywhere has enough political interest to be driven to the point of terrorism. Where would she get the materials needed for the attacks in the first place? If she isn't known by anyone, then she wouldn't have accomplices and if that's the case, there is _no way_ she could've managed to get her hands on explosives.

If it's _not_ her, then who?

What if it _is_ her, and I'm using any excuse I can find in order to convince myself that she's innocent?

I shook my head. I can't be biased. I can't afford to be biased. I have to listen to logic and reason.

Is Celida behind the bombings?

What reason could she possibly _have?_

I'm so confused and I'm being so indecisive and while I'm here, not knowing what to do, there are people dying. More and more people are dying with every passing day. People are calling for the king to do something about it, but no one has been given any orders. There hasn't been any word from Hyrule Castle at all. No order for more patrols, no stepping up of security, nothing. I thought, when the general left the barracks for the castle after the first attack; that it was to assess the situation and work out how to act in response. I'd thought, perhaps foolishly, that the king at least, wouldn't let this continue. Sure, he's not the most popular monarch Hyrule has ever had, but he's always been out for control, for complete and utter domination of every aspect of how society works. Now someone is tearing down all of that and all he's done is hide away in his impenetrable fortress, in the hope the bomber won't come after him.

So in the end, what we're left with is a bomber who doesn't care about taking lives and king who doesn't care about his country _or_ his people.

There's a spark for another rebellion if I've ever seen one.

A rebellion, then? That's the end goal here?

Surely there are easier ways to do that. There have to be easier ways to stir up unrest than destroying an entire city and killing all these people. Killing people who would possibly turn to the rebellion's cause. I feel like there are too many holes in that plan for it to function properly – it simply doesn't fit the cold, methodical way the bombs are set off. One thing's for sure though; the bomber has to be someone who has enough of a vendetta against the king and sufficient insanity to basically wage war against Hyrule.

One person against the world. One crazy, desperate, criminal mastermind bomber against the entire world, and _winning._ That's got to be some grudge.

There has to be a way to find them. To reason with them. To stop this before the country descends into a sea of blood and civil war.

I closed my eyes and bit my lip.

Celida, please. Please don't let me find out it's you. That it was you all along.

"For the love of everything Link, how many _freaking times_ have I told you that you're not in any condition to go around chasing down deranged terrorists?" Ivan snapped the second he saw me slumped in the doorway instead of in bed like I probably should've been.

"I have to…stop this…" I gasped, out of breath simply from getting myself this far.

"You're going to kill yourself."

"You don't understand-"

"No, I think I understand fine. Your chronic hero syndrome is acting up again, to the point of suicide."

"This isn't a _joke,_ Ivan!"

_"Do I look like I'm joking?!"_ he screamed at me. "You barely _survived_ that blast in the first place, you can't just go gallivanting after someone who's bent on destroying the world!"

"I can't just sit around to do nothing! People are _dying,_ Ivan! The more time we spend twiddling our thumbs is more time for the bomber to set up their next attack!"

"Link," he stated my name, his tone quiet and serious. "I'm going to tell you something really important, so much so it may even change your life. I need you to listen to me, now more than ever."

Wearily, I lifted my eyes to his, watching him expectantly and saying nothing before gesturing for him to continue. He rolled his shoulders back and sighed heavily as he thought about how he was going word the oncoming lecture. The longer he took the more I managed to convince myself that I really, really did _not_ need this in any shape or form.

And then, finally;

"What you have to understand, Link, is that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you _can't_ save everyone all the time, and it's _not_ your sole responsibility to do so. Trying is only going to wear you down. For the love of the goddesses, you're a _seventeen year old army private,_ not the Hero of Legend. You need to admit that to yourself. You need to-"

He was interrupted by the sound of what unmistakably another bomb exploding, followed by a few more in quick succession. The noise was so loud for a moment I thought the barracks had been targeted again, before realising that there would've been more fire and heat had that been the case. It wouldn't have fitted in with what little of a pattern there was – the same place was never hit twice. Not yet, anyway. Really, it's only a matter of time, since almost every area of significance short of Hyrule Castle itself has been bombed. And between how well fortified the castle is and the fact that the bomber tends to go for the places that will end in the highest death toll, it's easy enough to assume that a direct attack on Hyrule Castle isn't happening.

I glanced at Ivan uneasily.

"That…wasn't too far from here."

He seemed equally anxious. "Could be the cathedral…or the marketplace."

"There wasn't Mass this morning," I noted quietly. "It's not on until the evening. There won't be anyone at the cathedral."

Leaving the marketplace.

The generally overcrowded, bustling marketplace.

Ivan swore violently. "Dammit! What's _wrong_ with this person?! Are they trying to destroy civilisation itself? Today just gets worse and worse."

He turned away, massaging his forehead and muttering furiously to himself. I looked at him curiously.

"Worse? Did something happen earlier? Are people protesting outside the gates again?"

Ivan shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that…unless you count one single screaming crazy girl a protest."

"What do you mean?"

"Right, yeah, that's why I came here to see you in the first place. I don't suppose you were closely acquainted with any screaming pagan girls back in your street urchin days?"

I shot him a sour look. "I was never a street urchin."

That's a lie.

A lie I keep telling because I'm too afraid of what people will think. I've done it for so long it's almost become a habit.

It's so pathetic that other people's opinions mean that much to me.

I hate myself sometimes.

"Orphan with no discernible background, street urchin, what's the difference? In any case, there was a girl demanding to see you. Yelling stuff about the Triforce and the fate of the world and the incoming apocalypse. Seemed completely off her rocker."

Of course that was going to happen.

Of _course_ she was going to come back here.

Why would I expect anything less?

Why _now,_ though?

"Celida."

Ivan's eyes narrowed. "…Celida? So you _do_ know her? Wait. This isn't the girl you said broke in the night before the first attack, is it?"

I said nothing in reply. Instead I grabbed at the doorframe, searching for a firm hold before hoisting myself back up to my feet with a great amount of effort. My head spun sickeningly and I could barely remain standing, bile rose up in the back of my throat, leaving me coughing and spluttering in an attempt to choke it back down. Slowly, shakily, I forced myself forward, not allowing myself to stop. The second I stop I'm afraid I might end up collapsing.

Damn these injuries. For all my fast healing, I can't seem to heal fast _enough._

"Whoa, whoa. Where are you going?"

"I have to find her. Is she still out there?"

Ivan shook his head. "No, of course not. She got chased off, and I came to ask you."

"Great. Wonderful. You have any idea where she went?"

"Why would I know?"

"You're basically a receptacle for random information and general trivia. I thought I'd try my luck."

"Sorry, man. Can't help you. Why are you so desperate to find her?"

I kept going, leaning heavily on the wall, too focused on getting outside to bother answering him. I knew he'd fill in the blanks on his own. He doesn't need any help with that.

Why _am_ I so desperate to find her? What makes me think I can change anything? I can barely walk, for crying out loud. What makes me think I can find her? And if I find her, how am I supposed to stop her? If it's even _her_ who's destroying this city, one bombing at a time? Why would someone do that? What drives a person to do that kind of thing? Do I know her at all? Why do I feel like I should know her? That I _do_ know her?

"So that's your girl?" Ivan asked me suddenly, drawing me back to reality. "The one you think might be the bomber? You know, she _is_ pretty, if you ignore the whole 'completely insane' part."

"Ivan."

"I never thought there would be a day all of Hyrule came under threat from a pretty blonde."

_"Ivan,"_ I called his name once more in a warning tone, before stopping dead in my tracks. "You're not stopping me?"

"What?"

"I'm injured, I can barely stand, and I'm trying to get outside – why aren't you trying to stop me? Usually you're in my face, screaming at me to stop being an idiot."

He shrugged innocently. "Honestly? You're a stubborn asshole and it's hard to argue with people like that. I figured you'd pass out before we got to the gates."

I gritted my teeth and began moving again, faster now. "We'll see. It's not that far to the marketplace."

"Oh, _there's_ a great idea. You can barely remain standing, let's go right on ahead to the place that was just decimated by a terrorist."

"If I pass out on the street, you're more than welcome to say _'I told you so'."_

That wasn't going to happen. I was getting more stable and finding it easier to walk with every step – which didn't make much sense to me, but I wasn't about to push my luck. Ivan sighed exasperatedly as I moved with increasing speed to the gates.

"You're serious about this."

"Of course I'm serious about this."

"No one is _asking_ you to throw your life away, you know."

"I know."

"No one is asking you to be an eternally self-sacrificing moronic do-gooder, either."

"I know, Ivan."

"Try not to die. I'll get pissed if you do."

"I love you too, Ivan."

He arched an eyebrow at me for the offhand comment, but said nothing as I made my way past the gates, and out onto the street. I'd think it was strange that he was just letting me go, but he's had to sit and listen to me complain about not being able to leave the infirmary for a few days now so I guess it's not surprising that he's glad to see the back of me for a while. That, and he has even less respect for the rules than I do. I don't think he cares about what trouble he'll get in for allowing me to leave. He already acknowledged that he thinks I'm hard to argue with.

I shook my head and tried to focus. I have more important, more pressing issues to deal with right now. Things like Celida, and whether or not she actually is the terrorist out to burn everything to the ground. Things like, if she _is_ the bomber, what her motive for doing such a thing could _possibly_ be? What drives a person to that? What does she want? What does she want with _me? _And what if it's not her? What if I was wrong all along? What if it's someone else? What do I do then? Who do I suspect? How do I find them?

No. Stop it. Celida. Focus on Celida, and finding out the truth about her – if there is anything to know about her in the first place.

Why the _barracks?_ Out of all the places to target first, why the barracks, of all places? It's not like anyone important lives there. The only person of any notability at the time of the attack was the general.

Wait.

The _general._

Was _he_ the one the bomber was after this whole time? Is that why he disappeared to Hyrule Castle almost immediately afterwards? Did he suspect that he was the target, and leave to protect himself? Does he know the bomber? Or am I just making up wild theories on the spot now?

Suddenly and without warning, I was pulled off the street and into a deserted alleyway. Before I could shout for help or do anything at all, I was shoved against the wall, knowing the air out of my lungs. I gasped as I felt the cool steel of a knife pressed against my throat. I blinked several times in an attempt to gage what was going on and why I was being attacked suddenly – nothing came to mind.

"Are you Link?" a woman's voice asked urgently.

Her face was obscured by the shadow cast by her hood. Part of me wildly began to assume it was Celida, but this woman was taller than her, and bore a heavy accent I couldn't place. It's either an elaborate disguise better than any I've ever seen, or it's not Celida. Of course it's not her. Why am I so obsessed with her that I'm starting to suspect everyone of somehow being her?

I blinked several times. "I-I…uh…" I stammered, too shocked to say anything even vaguely coherent.

"Answer me. Are you Link?" she asked once more, in harsher tone.

I could only manage a small, jerky nod, remaining silent.

Apparently satisfied with this, she nodded and released me, pocketing the knife I never would've known she carried had she not pulled it on me the second she grabbed me.

"Who…?"

She pushed me into a corner of the alley that was unseen from the main street before pulling off her hood, revealing sharp, angular features, white hair that had been tightly pulled back save for one long strand that fell down alongside her face, and gleaming dark red eyes.

A Sheikah.

My eyes widened in shock.

I thought the Sheikah died. They were killed. All of them. All of the ones who remained in the capital and with the Royal Family at the time of the revolt, anyway. She must have managed to escape before it happened. But why come back? Why bother returning? There's nothing here for people like her anymore.

"You…you're a-"

She shook her head, cutting me off before carefully peering out to see if there was anyone around within earshot. I didn't move, my mind still reeling. Then, suddenly, she turned to me.

"I know she has contacted you. I know she's in the city, and I know what she plans to do. I need your help in order to stop her."

"My help? To stop who?"

"Do not attempt to feign ignorance. You know of whom I'm speaking. There is no telling of the havoc she will wreak if she isn't stopped," she murmured, casting one more edgy glance around in case of spies. I'd say that she seemed paranoid, but she's a Sheikah in a city that hasn't seen one of her kind in ten years and these are paranoid times, due to the attacks. She has every right to be paranoid. The king may have even deployed people to spy on the public in an attempt to rat out the bomber.

…no. That wouldn't happen. That's assuming the king actually cares enough to do something about it.

I continued to stare silently at her, at a loss of what to say. Finally, she stepped back, pulling me along with her. I didn't fight her. I was too surprised and generally confused about it all to fight her. She didn't seem to want to hurt me, either, and for that I was grateful. Even if I was perfectly healthy, I doubt I'd last long against her. The Sheikah have a reputation for their proficiency in combat, armed or unarmed.

"We must act quickly. If she anticipates us coming we stand no chance of success; that much I am sure of."

"How do you know I can stop her?" I asked, still a little unsure of who she was referring to, even though I could probably guess.

"She will undoubtedly listen to you. You, and _you _alone, can convince her to halt this war she is intent on waging against Hyrule."

_"Me?" _I repeated incredulously.

"Yes, Link. You. The fate of your country depends on it. You _must_ stop Zelda."


	7. Chapter Seven

"Zelda?" I repeated vacantly, gaping like an idiot. "You mean the princess? The princess who died? Whose body I _saw_ after the revolt? _That_ Zelda?"

She's dead. She died ten years ago. She's supposed to be dead. I know she's dead. She has to be. How else do you explain the body of a seven year old girl strung up outside the castle along with the old king and queen? She can't be alive. She can't have survived. It's not possible. She certainly can't have survived completely unknown and hidden all this time only to reappear now and go on a violent bombing spree.

If it wasn't her who died that night, who did? How did she get out? Where has she _been_ all this time? Why doesn't she just reveal her identity? The vast majority of people want to old regime back in place. It wouldn't take much at all to convince them to gather behind her and give their support. She'd have an army from which not even a fortified citadel like Hyrule Castle would be safe. If she's out to overthrow the people who overthrew her father, she's going about it the wrong way. Even I can see that.

"Do you know of another Zelda?"

"Well no, but-"

"Then it must be assumed I mean the princess."

No.

_No._

She's not.

She _can't _be.

Not only does that make no sense at all, that's actually impossible.

I saw her body.

I _saw_ it.

Why would a dead princess – who, as it happens, _isn't dead_ – set off bombs in crowded places and generally terrorise her own nation? It's her own subjects, her own _people_ that she's killing. If she's the rightful heir to the throne, why wouldn't she simply go after the king directly? She could've attacked the castle first, taken everyone by surprise. She might've stood a chance at getting in had she done that. But she attacked the barracks first. Why the barracks? What was she after in the first place? The general? Why does it always come back to the general?

If the princess is the bomber, then _who_ is the general?

The princess is the bomber.

That's one of the weirdest things that has ever crossed my mind.

What is she _after?_

The Sheikah stopped and turned back to face me, arching an eyebrow and looking thoroughly confused. "You were unaware of her identity when she spoke to you?"

She spoke to me now? I don't remember that. I don't recall ever running to anyone who could've possibly turned out to be a princess. I'd remember that. I'd remember meeting someone like that. It would've stuck out in my mind. I'd remember. I'd know. I'm sure I would.

…unless it's Celida we're talking about here, and she's been lying about her identity all this time and isn't actually called Celida at all, because she is in fact someone else entirely. In which case, then yes, I remember meeting her. Forgetting that night is going to prove a difficulty.

_Who am I? Why, I'm a ghost, Link. We're all ghosts, after all._

A ghost. She's a ghost. I understand that now. Suddenly, it starts to make sense.

She's Zelda.

_Of course _she's Zelda. Why wouldn't she be? Who else could she have been? An _actual _vagrant? Don't make me laugh. Celida, Zelda, they're very similar names. I'm annoyed I didn't see this coming.

Who meets a girl breaking into where they live in the middle of the night and expect them to be the nation's princess that really very conclusively _died_ ten years prior? How was I supposed to predict that? How could I have possibly known who she was? She's not really what immediately comes into mind when I think of a princess.

"I met a slightly odd starving vagrant girl called Celida. She failed to mention anything about being a dead princess."

"Whether she failed to mention it or not, you should have known," the Sheikah argued. "Unless she is somehow mistaken and you are not in fact who she thinks you are."

Who she thinks I am?

Who does she think I am?

Why do I get the distinct feeling that everyone except me knows exactly what's going on? That everyone in this entire world except me is entirely aware of their place in the world and what they have to do, and they're all laughing at me behind my back because here I am, confused out of my mind and completely at a loss.

"I don't- …I don't understand."

"I didn't expect you would," she murmured, resuming gently tugging me down the street. "But I do not believe she is mistaken. There must be another explanation."

I staggered as she pulled me along relentlessly. I get the feeling that even if I had been fighting her, wounded or not, she would still be perfectly capable of dragging me with her. Right now, I don't want to risk further injuring myself just to test that theory.

I'm being led somewhere by a Sheikah in order to somehow stop a princess who's supposed to be dead from setting off a bomb which will be the latest in a string of bombings. Pretty sure this is officially the weirdest day of my life.

That's an achievement purely in and of itself.

"Where are we going?" I finally managed as she steered me around a corner and onto yet another street.

"I have reason to believe she is at the cathedral. You will intercept her there."

The cathedral?

She's going to set off another bomb during _Mass?_

Not only is that a blatant affront to the gods, but more people have been attending than usual, out of fear that they're living through the Armageddon. It's like she's been trying to get the highest death toll possible, and now she's found a way to achieve that.

To what end, though? What is this supposed to achieve? Why is she killing her own people? What does she stand to gain from it? What can she possibly be after? It doesn't make any sense.

Did it ever?

My eyes narrowed. _"I_ will? Why do I have to stop her? Why don't you stop her, if you're so desperate?"

The Sheikah kept her head down and her voice low. "I cannot. I swore a blood oath of protection to the Royal Family of Hyrule. I cannot act against the princess."

A blood oath. Of course she swore an unbreakable blood oath. Why would anything be that simple? It was naïve of me to think there could possibly be an alternate solution when she's clearly gone to a lot of trouble to enlist my help in the first place. I'm sure she wouldn't have done it if she didn't absolutely have to. She must be desperate.

"Have you tried talking to her?"

"She will not listen to me, and has little care for the consequences of her actions. I fear she is drifting beyond all reason."

"If she won't listen to you, what makes you think she'll listen to me? I barely _know_ her."

"You have more precedence in her life than you are aware of," the Sheikah told me seriously. "If she will listen to anyone, it will be you."

But I barely know her. We met by chance a few nights ago. She said some cryptic things and disappeared into the night. She was just a girl I had one conversation with once, nothing more than that. The first time I even saw her ten years ago she was dead, and that wasn't even her. Why am I the only person she'll listen to? Did we bond just that much in those few minutes?

Suddenly, the Sheikah stopped and let go of me. I staggered a little to regain my balance and looked around, squinting from the glare of the sun. The cathedral loomed overhead, somehow bigger and more intimidating than ever before. Maybe I just saw it that way in light of what I was being asked to do.

"Here," she said gruffly, pulling out a sheathed longsword seemingly from nowhere – I still have no idea where she keeps all these weapons without anyone noticing she has them – and pressing it into my hands.

I stared at it before raising my eyes to meet hers. "What's this for?"

"I cannot in good conscience allow you to confront her unarmed," she told me flatly. "I trust I will not have to teach you how to use it."

"I've been through training," I assured her quietly, strapping it onto my belt.

The Sheikah nodded curtly, before casting a wary glance at the cathedral, presumably where Celida – Princess Zelda, whatever and whoever she really is – was setting up her next attack. I bit my lip and shifted a little nervously, the reality of the situation finally beginning to dawn on me.

"You must understand," she murmured. "She is more lethal than you know and you are in far more danger than you realise. I would not ask this of you if it were not as dire."

"Don't worry about it."

"Make her see the futility of her cause," she insisted. "If that means pointing out some harsh realities, then so be it. I do not believe there is any other way."

"I'll keep that in mind," I muttered, making my way up the steps to the huge front doors that stood wide open, beckoning the public to come inside and pray to the gods even though Mass wasn't on for a while.

"And Link?"

I turned, eyebrows raised at the Sheikah, who had pulled her hood back over her face so I could only see her lips curve into a small, crooked smile.

"Good luck."

With that, she was gone, seemingly melting into background without a trace.

How does she do that? Is it a Sheikah thing? It's probably just a Sheikah thing. Stealth and subterfuge is what they're renowned for, after all. I shouldn't be surprised.

Only now did it dawn on me that I never got her name.

Maybe I'll ask her if I ever end up seeing her again.

I somewhat reluctantly returned to making my way inside the cathedral, not sure of what I'd gotten myself into exactly. I looked down at the sword before glancing around edgily, hoping no one was going to notice that the weapon I was carrying was clearly not of Hylian make. The street was largely deserted, and the few people who were actually present weren't looking my way. They had no reason to. People tend to go out of their way to avoid soldiers and I'm wearing an army uniform.

I edged my way around the main chamber and quickly turned into one of the hallways, figuring it wasn't likely that Celida – Zelda, I don't know what to call her anymore – was going to be setting up explosives in plain sight. She was far smarter than that.

My footsteps echoed as I made my way down the narrow, dimly lit hallway. I never did like coming here, even when there were other people around. Everything echoes, you can't go unnoticed. I kept my breathing shallow and trod carefully, and still I could hear every sound echo endlessly through the empty hall. This place is vast, and I have no idea where to start looking. All I know that, somewhere in this endless maze of halls that all look the same, there's a girl setting up a trap.

Why am I doing this?

I shouldn't be doing this.

I'm going to get myself killed doing this.

I could convince someone to call off Mass…but then she'd simply wait until it was back on and strike then. And that's if anyone chooses to believe me in the first place. I'd ask myself why I believed it so quickly but…I don't know. That Sheikah woman was very convincing. And even if she's wrong, there's no harm in checking.

A noise I was reasonably sure wasn't an echo of me interrupted my train of thought. I stopped dead in my tracks, listening carefully. Someone – a girl – was humming a song I wasn't sure I'd heard before. It struck some old, vague chord in my memory, but beyond that, nothing. My eyes narrowed a little and I slowly made my way towards it, not sure where else I was supposed to go. It seemed to be coming from the bell tower.

I quickly made my way up the steps, no longer bothering to even try to be quiet anymore. The stairs were seemingly endless, spiralling up the tower that seemed to go on forever. I gripped the railing and tried to myself up as my legs started to burn from the effort of scaling to tower so quickly. The humming grew louder the further up I made it, and it made me start to wonder what on earth I planned to say.

What do I say?

What _can_ I say?

How do I convince her to listen to me? What reason does she have to listen to me? She has to have some strong reasoning in order for her to have gone this far in the first place. What do I do? What do I say? I slowed almost to a complete stop and briefly despaired. I don't know what to do. I'm lost. What do I do?

Whatever I have to in order to convince her to stop this insanity.

I ascended the final few steps until finally, I was on the same level as the frankly huge bell. Celida – the girl I knew as Celida even if it wasn't her real name – was crouched on the floor in a corner, fiddling with something and humming happily. She'd forgone the cloak, revealing a dress that was just as old and tattered as everything else she owned. I stared at her turned back warily, one hand gripping the hilt of the Sheikah's sword and the other clenching into a fist. She seemed so cheerful, and that made it worse. She didn't seem to have a care in the world, despite being fully aware that she's about to kill hundreds of innocent people.

This girl is supposed to be a princess?

I glanced around the room, taking note of everything around me in case it would come in useful if she tried to escape. She's decked the entire complex out with explosives already, I know it. All she's doing now is putting on the finishing touches and then all she has to do is leave, wait for the right moment, then blow the cathedral and everyone in it to smithereens.

I can't let her do that.

"Come to convince me to cease and desist yet again, Impa?" she asked suddenly, staying focused entirely on her work.

I stiffened a little. My mouth immediately went dry and I failed to think of anything to say. Impa, I figured, was the Sheikah's name, not that it helped the situation much.

"You're awfully quiet. Have you nothing to say to me?"

I swallowed hard, trying to think of something, anything to say.

"Why are you doing this?" I managed after what seemed like an eternity.

My voice was hardly above a whisper, and the fear and near panic in it was evident. I sounded pathetic, like a small lost child. It was, however, enough to get her attention. She straightened in surprise at the sound of my voice which was so unlike what she'd been expecting before twisting around to look at me. Slowly, she closed her eyes and settled back down into her former position, letting out a loud, heavy, tired sigh.

"Link," she stated my name flatly. "I…hadn't expected you to come. Moreover, you shouldn't be here."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked again, stronger and more confidently this time. _"Zelda?"_

She visibly flinched at my use of her real name, and slowly twisted around to face me, her eyes wide and just a little incredulous.

"_Excuse_ me?"

"That's your name, isn't it?" I asked coldly. "Or would you prefer me address you as 'Your Highness'?"

She sat there, motionless, taken aback by my words.

"…no one has called me that in a long time."

"Clearly."

We lapsed into a brief silence. She stared at me, eyes wide with what seemed like shock, a vast array of emotions flickering across her expression. I don't think she knew what to feel. I can't say I would've known either, in her place.

Then, her eyes suddenly narrowed. "Oh I _see._ Impa recruited you to stop me, since I'm more inclined to listen to you. She's more intelligent than I give her credit for."

I paid her no mind. "I'll ask you again, Zelda. Why are you doing this?"

"Princess Zelda is dead. She died a long time ago."

"Answer the question, _Celida."_

"Why does anyone do anything?" she asked airily, suddenly snapping back to her usual perky self. "Why does one learn a trade, or attend Mass? It's life, soldier boy."

That's her excuse? She's just doing this because she can? I can't believe this. I can't believe _her. _What warped her perception of reality so badly she thinks this kind of stuff is okay? I don't believe she started out like this. I refuse to believe it. No one just starts off like that.

"It's _life?_ Don't you have any idea of what you're doing? What you're _still_ doing? Hundreds of people have died!"

She shrugged, remaining entirely nonchalant. "Collateral damage."

"_Collateral- _you can't possibly be _serious!"_ I bellowed at her. "How can you _think_ like that? You're killing innocent people!"

"Innocent?" she repeated furiously, standing up and clenching her fists in anger. _"Innocent?_ Don't _joke,_ Link. There isn't a single person in this godforsaken country who is innocent. They stood by as my parents were tortured to death. They cheered at the sight of their bodies – at the sight of what they thought was _my_ body – strung up outside the castle gates. Do you have any what that's like? To see people so jubilant at the notion of the death of you and your family? As far as I'm concerned, they are _all_ guilty."

"You can't _think_ like that!" I had to stop myself from screaming.

She let out a shout of derisive laughter. "You are _so_ amusing at times. How is it your place to say what I should think like? You've no moral high ground to take here, soldier."

"I'm not the one behind the deaths of hundreds here."

"Aren't you?" she questioned. "Are you not aware of the very nature of your own existence? Have you not yet realised that wherever you go, you leave a sea of death in your wake? Don't you know of your own curse, as I am _acutely_ aware of mine?"

Curse?

What _curse?_

I finally know who she really is and she _still_ doesn't make any sense to me.

She turned away from me and stared out at the city that sprawled in every direction around us. "You're lucky. You have no idea how blessed you are. But given time, you will realise the inevitable truth, and your world will crumble around you, just as mine did. It is a fate you cannot avoid."

I stood stock still, unable to think of anything to say. She turned to me, smiling faintly.

"I could take it from you right now," she said pleasantly. "I could rip it from you, and you wouldn't be able to stop me. With it, I could destroy him. I could return our world to the way it's supposed to be. I could make it so that none of this ever happened. There is no other way."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing you would believe," she answered bluntly. "I'm not the enemy here, Link."

"Yeah? Then who is? The king?"

She laughed. "Agahnim is a puppet, nothing more. He is of no concern to me."

"Then what in the name of _Farore_ are you trying to achieve?!"

She seemed to smile a little when I uttered the name of one of the pagan goddesses, like she was impressed I knew that name at all. I don't know why. Everyone knows those names, those stories. It's the actual _belief_ in them that separates pagans from the sane population.

"Oh you beautiful idiot. Is it not obvious? I'm trying to save Hyrule."

"By burning it to the ground?"

"It's the only way to lure him out," she said monotonously. "I have been hunting him for far too long to fail now, when I am so close. And now, purely by chance, I've found you as well. For the first time, the end is in sight. And when I have all the pieces, no one will have died. There is _no_ other way."

"You're not making any sense."

"Of course I'm not making sense. It's hard to make sense to someone who is, for all intents and purposes, as spectacularly ignorant as you."

She started pacing up and down, running her hands through her hair and muttering incessantly to herself. I watched her warily, unsure what to make of the situation.

"But you're here now," she murmured, her voice barely audible. "You've finally surfaced. And for the first time, you're within my reach."

She reached out to me, almost as if she was in some kind of trance-like state, and I immediately stepped back. Suddenly, she stiffed and pulled back, shaking her head.

"I can't do that to you," she murmured, mostly to herself. "And I suppose it would be futile to continue my assault on the city. It was foolish to assume he cared enough about consolidating his power over realm to come out and face me. Fine. Let him think he's won. In the meantime, Link, I'll help you back to the barracks. It's the least I can do, after all."

I have no idea what just happened.

She just changed her mind so fast for no reason I think it's given me whiplash.

"Eh?"

"You're injured, aren't you? Presumably you were caught in the initial attack. Forgive me. You were not my intended target."

Her intended target?

So she _was_ after the general?

Why don't I just ask her?

…because every time I ask her a question I get an incomprehensible monologue in reply. There's no point. It's not going to make any sense either way.

My eyes narrowed. "Forgive you? Eighteen people died that explosion."

"I'll bring them back."

"What?"

"I'll change all of this," she told me patiently, grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards the stairs. "I'll make it so none of this ever happened. I'll restore Hyrule to way it should be. Until I do, actions have no permanent consequences. I'll do whatever I have to. Everyone is expendable. Now, shall we go?"

Why do I get the feeling I'm really not going to like where this is going?


	8. Chapter Eight

"There used to be a baker over there," Zelda informed me quietly, gesturing at a seemingly abandoned, run-down looking building on the street corner. "He was nice. I used to see him sometimes when I left the castle. He made up a new type of bread and he was so honoured when I liked it he named it after me. His wife would grumble about the people who ran the apothecary down the road. I was friends with their children."

I was getting the feeling that she was deliberately taking me the long way to the barracks so she'd be able to ramble as much as possible about what her life used to be like. I glanced at her briefly, taking in as much of her dishevelled appearance as I could in that short time, still unable to really accept the fact that this girl is supposed to be – or used to be, I'm not sure if it counts anymore – royalty. I'm still trying to get over the shock that she's alive at all. I'm trying not to berate myself for being such a freaking idiot and not realising the truth sooner. It's not working all that well for me.

But the more she talks about all these seemingly random, unimportant things the more I realise just what she lost ten years ago. The more I begin to understand why she behaves so erratically, with little thought of the consequences of her actions on both herself and the people around her. For one thing, she's convinced she can make it so none of this ever happened. But mainly, I think she simply hasn't got anything else to lose.

She's desperate. She's getting increasingly desperate as time drags on. I don't know what she's after exactly, but it's becoming clear that she's running out of ideas on how to get it.

I've been there before. It's not fun.

"There was an aristocratic family who lived near the castle, in the inner district," she continued. "They had five daughters and a son. I was really close with the boy when I was a kid…we used to play all the time and pull pranks on his sisters, and they hated us because of it. Our parents were probably discussing the idea of us getting married, not that we were ever a part of those conversations."

"Seems you have a lot of friends."

Her expression immediately hardened and she stared obstinately ahead of her, never looking anywhere else. A dark glower coloured her face, and I knew I'd said the wrong thing. I realise that she's set off a string of bombs and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds, but she's still just a girl in my mind. Seeing her wear that expression is mildly disconcerting.

Somehow I'm still managing to fail to see just what she's been through.

"I _had_ friends. Past tense. Anyone who supported my family was killed either during or shortly following the revolt. The baker, the boy and his sisters…I don't even remember his name anymore. There is no one left now. No one but me. Everyone I ever cared about or ever cared about me is dead. Slaughtered as though they were little more than cattle ten years ago."

There was a distinct edge to her voice as she said this, and I wasn't surprised. Yeah, it happened ten years ago, but that isn't the kind of thing someone just gets over. I'm uncertain whether she'll ever truly put it behind her. I can't say I'd blame her if she didn't.

"The Sheikah seems to care about you," I said in some vain attempt to make her feel slightly less alone in the world.

I don't understand why I'm so willing to look past everything she's done lately. I don't know why I'm so inclined to pity her for the circumstances of her life when the odds are that she could've avoided them completely and lived safely and happily far away from Hyrule and its seemingly endless list of problems. I'm struggling to understand why I care about her so much. Nothing makes sense to me anymore.

"Impa?" she scoffed. "She lives in constant fear of what will happen to me. If she had her way I never would have returned to Hyrule at all."

I don't see that as an entirely bad thing. If she had never returned Hyrule none of the attacks would've happened. So many people would still be alive. She wouldn't be in the danger she is in now – not that she bothers to acknowledge it. Whether that because she doesn't care or believes herself invincible remains to be seen.

I looked away. "She's right, though. If the king knew you're alive…"

Her eyebrows shot up incredulously. "It would make no difference whatsoever. The entire city lives in fear of me, and my identity becoming public knowledge won't change that. In the end, my life doesn't matter. It is of little consequence."

Little consequence? She's the princess. She could overthrow the king and take back her throne if it took her fancy. She could gather an army and besiege Hyrule Castle – she could _win._ The fact that she's gone on her bombing spree for this long without getting caught or drawing any suspicion or attention to her herself only supports the theory that she's a talented tactician. Her life is huge. Her life is important. Her life could change everything, if it hasn't already. Besides, I thought she wanted to live. Isn't that what she told me?

"But enough of me," she said abruptly, cutting through my train of thought. "What about you?"

My eyes narrowed. "What _about _me?"

"What was your childhood like? Who were your friends?"

Why does she want to know? Doesn't she already know?

I kept my head down. "It's not important."

"Of course it's important," she insisted. "Because right now soldier boy, you're my only ally."

"We're not allies. You're attacking my country."

She kept her eyes on the ground. "I'll fix it."

"You keep saying that," I noted quietly.

"Because I mean it," she told me seriously. "I'm not on a mindless suicide mission. I have an end goal. There is something to be achieved."

"And what's that?"

"The return of peace and tranquillity for Hyrule."

I let out a shout of bitter laughter. I couldn't help it. What she was saying was ludicrous. Peace and tranquillity for Hyrule? Coming from the girl who, until today, had been happily bombing the capital left right and centre?

"So?"

I rolled my shoulders back and exhaled sharply. "I thought you already knew about me."

"I want you to tell me."

"There's nothing to tell. There's nothing to know."

"There is always something to know, soldier boy."

I paused, considering her words for a moment.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"That's what you _are,_ isn't it? A soldier?" she asked lightly. "A fighter, a warrior, a hero?"

I looked away. "I'm a _trainee._ I'm barely qualified to swing a sword."

"Liar. Liar, liar, _liar,"_ she practically sang at me. "That's a _lie_ and you _know_ it, you lying liar. You are far more capable than you, or anyone else, realises. You and you alone have strength of courage enough to wield a weapon your peers can only _dream_ of. You are beyond them. You have no equal."

My eyes narrowed and I pulled back a little, getting increasingly worried about her mental state. She's not stable. Any second now she's going to snap and who knows _what_ will happen then. Part of me really hopes Impa comes back and is able to reign her in before anything like that happens. This girl is insane. She's completely out of her mind, and yet somehow manages to put a calm air that makes her all the more terrifying. I don't know what happened to her to make her like this. I don't _want_ to know what happened to her. I probably can't imagine half the things she's seen.

How, _how_ did I get myself tangled up in this mess of a situation?

"Besides, I simply refer to people by what they are. You, for example, are a soldier, Impa is an annoyance, and the enemy is a tyrant. Everyone else is either blind or an idiot, since they ignore the truth and write it off as nothing more than legends, designed to make children behave."

"Right."

We turned a corner and suddenly Hyrule Castle itself loomed before us. It was huge and intimidating like it always was, half cast in shadow, its spires reaching up to the sky. It was surrounded by a vast wall, lined with vicious looking cast iron spikes, and under heavy guard – even more so than usual. It wasn't all that surprising, given the bombings. Zelda stopped dead in tracks. Her face visibly paled and she swayed as she briefly lost her balance. She didn't seem to be able to focus.

"Zelda?" I called her name worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Her name was Malon," she whispered in a hoarse voice. "She was my age, or just a little younger than me. Her father owned a ranch, he was making a delivery to the castle on the day of the revolt and she came with him. When they broke in, my parents ordered Impa to get me out by any means necessary. We managed to escape and they were looking for me…and instead they found her."

I watched her warily as she swayed a little, worried she would collapse right then and there. "What are you talking about?"

She was shaking now. "She died the death that should have been mine, and I live the life that should have been hers. I need to bring her back. I need to find a way to save her."

I glanced back at the castle and said nothing, assuming she was talking about the revolt. I don't know. I can't tell anymore. I don't think I ever could. The day the things she says start making sense to me will be the day I've well and truly lost it, if I haven't gone that far already. All I need now is more nightmares about killing the general and I'll be that much closer to getting myself committed.

I need to go home. I need to sleep. Maybe things will make more sense tomorrow. They have to.

"You can't go back."

I whipped around to face her, confused. "Eh?"

She seemed vacant, her eyes glazed over and she stared aimlessly ahead. "The Castle Guard are at the barracks. They're looking for you. He knows it's you. You can't go back. You'll be killed if you do."

"What are you talking about? Zelda?"

She stood motionless for what seemed like much too long before blinking several times and seemingly snapping back into reality. Immediately, she grabbed my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction of the barracks, muttering incessantly to herself.

"All it ever takes is you. Why, Link? Why are you _always_ the one who sets things into motion? I can hunt him down, I can attack his fortress, I can bomb his city, I can kill his people and stir up unrest and he stands by and does nothing. The _instant_ you appear, he moves to strike. Why? Why is he more afraid of you than he is of me? What do I do to make him see me as a worthy adversary? What more _can_ I do?"

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."

"And that's just _it!"_ she screamed, furious all of a sudden. "Why don't you remember? I remember. _He_ remembers. He knows everything. And here you are, blissfully unaware of _everything_ important your life. Just as stupid and ignorant as everyone else, just another face in the crowd, just some other commoner who doesn't believe the truth. But it _is _the truth, and it _will_ kill you. Why don't you remember anything?"

"Remember _what?"_

"The fact that you possess the _Triforce of Courage,_ you imbecile!" she hissed angrily, gripping my left wrist with her right hand. "Honestly! Don't you realise who you _are?"_

"I don't know what you're on about!"

"Oh for pity's sake – look. Just _look,"_ she ordered sharply. "Look at your hand. Notice anything?"

My eyes narrowed as my hand that she was so insistent I stare at started itching. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be seeing."

"Focus. Feel it?"

"Feel what? My hand itching?"

She smiled. "Yes. That exactly. Mine is too."

The itching got worse before, slowly but surely, a faint, golden glow began to appear, quickly forming into what was unmistakably a Triforce symbol. My eyes widened in shock. I tried to say something, to protest about how this couldn't possibly be in any real, but no words came out. I couldn't bring myself to say anything. I just stared, wide eyed like a small child at my own hand, utterly transfixed.

What.

What?

_What?_

Since when was that there?

How did that manage to escape my attention my entire life?

Zelda let out a sigh of relief and pulled away from me. The glow almost immediately faded.

"When two pieces of the Triforce come in contact with each other, they resonate," she explained quietly. "Go on. Tell me it's not real. Tell me it's nothing more than a story now, on the back of your hand."

I gaped wordlessly. I couldn't think of anything to say. I had nothing to say. Zelda stood there, waiting patiently as I gawked at her like a slack-jawed idiot in wake of her revelation. It wasn't really _her_ revelation. It was mine. Somehow she knows more about me than I do. I used to think I knew who I was. Now I have no idea at all. This is impossible.

So much has happened to me today. I can barely wrap my head around it all.

"I-I…I, uh…"

How long has that _been_ there?

Why have I never noticed it until now?

Isn't that the kind of thing I'd notice?

It's not real.

It's not supposed to be real.

"You realise what that means, don't you?"

"Wh-what?"

"Come now. You've heard the stories, same as everyone else. You already know. You've always known. Where do you think those dreams come from? You _never_ remember, do you? That's how your soul copes. That's how you remain the way you are. You can't avoid it completely though, can you? It still comes out, whether you like it or not. All those unexplainable little ticks you've had since you can remember, the way you know precisely how to wield a sword without ever picking one up…those old habits die hard, don't they? Those old _memories_ that never go away, haunting you in your dreams."

I stared wordlessly at her, completely at a loss. She barely noticed, and continued to plough on.

"That's your curse, you know. Your eternal, unbreakable curse that you will never be able to escape no matter how hard you try. You will be called to fight evil and save the world for as long as there is a world to save. You are _doomed_ to that existence, and that, _that_ is why you are a soldier. In this life, in every life you have ever lived. You don't get a choice in the matter."

"What are you even saying?"

She sighed a little, apparently disappointed in me. "What I'm _saying,_ Link, is that it's not a fear of punishment that keeps you in the military; it's your fate as the Hero of Legend."

I stood stock still, agape, my mind completely blank and at a total loss of how to process what she had just said to me. My mouth opened and closed as I tried to think of something, _anything,_ to say, but no words came out. I couldn't bring myself to say or do anything at all.

Zelda rolled her eyes dramatically at my speechlessness. Anger briefly flared up inside me. How does she expect me to deal with something like that? Does she honestly think I'm going to take an earth-shattering aspect of my own existence at face value and never bother to question it? Who's going to do that? Who isn't going to question it, or ask for some kind of proof, _any_ kind of evidence to suggest to the truth? Who does she think I _am?_

_…aside_ from the Hero of Legend.

It's not true.

It _can't_ be true.

I can't be.

The Hero of Legend is just that – a _legend._ A story parents tell their children so they won't be afraid when bad things happen. A story I myself was told countless times throughout the lead up to and the aftermath of the revolt. There are so many different stories about Hyrule's reoccurring hero, always appearing just in time to fight evil and save the day. Always returning just as the world needs him. Everyone knows at least some of the stories about him, of which there are countless. He's probably one of the most famous figures in all of Hyrulean history.

And there just isn't any way that he's real. There isn't any way he's me. He can't be me. _I'm_ me. That's all I've ever been. Now I'm not even that anymore.

"You don't believe me."

It wasn't a question.

"I- …it's just…I'm not…"

"You're in shock," she noted quietly. "Perhaps I should've been more tactful. But your ignorance was really starting to get on my nerves. It called for it, though I may have impulsively sabotaged myself by doing so. I don't suppose you'll willingly hand me your piece of the Triforce?"

I pulled back almost immediately, drawing my left hand to my chest protectively. "Don't count on it."

"You have no idea what you are doing by denying me."

"Sure I do. You need all three pieces for it to grant you a wish. I don't trust you with that kind of power."

"You don't _trust_ me?" she repeated, her tone one of sheer disbelief. "Link, the Chosen Hero, the Hero of Time, decides not to trust Princess Zelda? Oh that _is_ new. Who then, would you trust? Yourself?"

I didn't move. "No."

A small smile crept upon her lips. "In that case, soldier, you're wiser than I assumed. You are to be commended. Not many people manage to surprise me. Keep it up, and I might even decide that you're actually worthy of the protection of the goddesses."

"Protection?" I repeated dully.

"The power of the gods protect you," said Zelda. "That's why you didn't die when you were caught up in the blast at the barracks. And why you recovered so quickly."

"…the blast _you_ set up."

"You weren't the target. I knew it wouldn't kill you, just as it wouldn't have killed Ganondorf. Wound, certainly. But not kill."

My eyes narrowed. "Ganondorf…the general? Isn't…isn't he the one you're trying to assassinate? If you knew he wasn't going to die, why do it?"

_"Kill Ganondorf?_ Mercy, no. I was aiming to severely injure him, put him out of action and take his piece of the Triforce before exacting some revenge and getting some closure for what he's done to my family. Besides, he has this _notorious_ ability to never stay dead. But then, I don't need to tell _you_ that. After all, you already know, don't you? No one in this wide world knows it better than you."

I stood stock still, struggling to gain a grip on reality. Zelda smiled grimly.

"He will strike swiftly in an attempt to rid you of the equation. He is not going to wait for you to grow into his greatest threat – as you have consistently proven yourself to be. In the meantime, you are much too valuable for me to simply allow you to die. I advise we leave the capital immediately."

I blinked several times. "I don't-"

"Understand?" she suggested dryly. "Worry not. You will. Congratulations, Link. Your coming has, once again, heralded the start of a war that will throw Hyrule into further chaos. I hope you're proud."


	9. Chapter Nine

This can't be real. This can't be happening to me. Not here, not now. I've never left the capital. I've never been outside the city walls, let alone the _Hyrule Wall_ itself. Who knows what's out there? Who knows what kind of horrific, traumatic experiences are waiting for me the second I leave? I can't leave. This is ridiculous. I'm getting dragged around city, pulled into alleys, edging around corners and slipping quietly through buildings by a girl who is not a princess, at least not anymore, who's also supposed to be dead but isn't and now spends her days launching horrific terrorist attacks against the country she used to be princess of in an attempt to find and unite the pieces of the Triforce, one of which I've apparently had without noticing my _entire life, _not to mention she's just told me a bunch of other things I really, _really_ don't want to consider right now.

"You're taking it much harder than I expected," Zelda commented dryly as she peered around a corner, still gripping my wrist tightly and refusing to let go out of fear I'd run off the second she did. I was in half mind to do exactly that anyway. "Wouldn't you be happy? You're the Hero of Legend, a beloved historical figure. You wield the Triforce of Courage. It's far more, infinitely more than what anyone else has."

I said nothing.

I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

Part of me never wants to say anything ever again.

I know what people think about the Hero of Legend, about the idea of him. I know why people hold onto the legends, why they're such popular bedtime stories in troubled times – to the point that just about every child of Hyrule knows at least one of the stories by heart. Those stories make people feel better. They make people feel safe, even as one of the countless military patrols march around the city, scrutinising everyone, every word they say; every move they make.

Everyone loves the idea of a hero. A hero who drives back the darkness when it envelopes the world, who saves lands from utter destruction, who fights the good fight all for the benefit of the people.

He's this great, amazing person who always appears in the hour of need, who always does whatever must be done, who never sways from the side of good and always does the right thing. He's excellent and perfect at everything and not supposed to be real. Not a real, actual person, because how can anyone actually live up to that kind of reputation? It's simply not possible. Real people aren't like that.

And I'm…I'm just…

We're talking someone who lived at _least_ eight hundred years ago here, if he ever existed at all.

I'm barely _seventeen._

Wouldn't I know if I was the Hero of Legend?

Wouldn't I remember?

…is _that_ why she's so angry with me?

"I don't like it when you don't talk. It's disconcerting. Say something."

Oh, _that's_ disconcerting? Me staying silent because I'm in shock over a huge, earth shattering, existential crisis inducing reveal regarding some core aspect of my identity alarms her, but not the huge, earth shattering, existential crisis inducing reveal regarding some core aspect of my identity itself? That…that's just so…that doesn't even make sense. On any level. In any regard.

What does she expect me to do?

How am I _supposed_ to take it?

How come she knows all this stuff and I don't?

"Link. Seriously. I'm not kidding around here. You're almost starting to genuinely scare me."

Oh good. I hope she's scared. _I'm_ scared.

Where am I going?

Why am I allowing myself to get basically dragged out of the capital, out of the city I've spent my whole life in, even though the thought of leaving has never even crossed my mind before? Why am I listening to her at all? Sure, she's the old princess of Hyrule and the rightful heir to the throne. Doesn't make her any less insane. Doesn't negate the fact that she brought the nation to its knees single-handedly. Doesn't make anything about this situation in any way less ridiculous and generally fantastical.

I looked down, staring at the back of my left hand, as if I expected the mark to still be there, still glowing. It wasn't. It was nothing but smooth skin, like it had always been. Part of me was wondering if it had ever been there at all.

Was that, when she showed me earlier, when it glowed…_was _that real? Or was that just a strange hallucination on my part? How can I tell? How am I supposed to know? How does _she_ know?

I'm leaving.

I'm leaving Hyrule, right now, at this very moment. That's what's happening.

What? No. I can't leave. I _can't_ leave. I live here. I have friends here. I have a _life_ here. More of a life than I've ever had before. I can't just pack up and leave because a crazy vagrant bomber princess who's _supposed_ to be _dead_ wandered aimlessly into my life and is now demanding I do exactly that.

Do I have a choice in this matter?

Did I _ever _have a choice?

Zelda certainly doesn't seem to think so.

Then again, she doesn't seem to think I have a real choice in anything. And the worst part is, part of me is starting to agree with her.

What if I ever come back here? I'll be considered a deserter at the very least. How am I going to defend myself if they catch me? How am I going to avoid getting myself executed, like I undoubtedly _will_ be if I'm ever caught back here?

Oh hey, sorry about that. I had to leave, see, because I'm the Hero of Legend. How do I know that? Princess Zelda told me. I can prove it. I have the Triforce of Courage. No, no, that's not a euphemism. I'm serious.

Not even Ivan, the person who is most likely to believe me, is going to buy that. Even if I stand in front of him wearing the traditional green tunic and wielding the Master Sword, having just saved the world from eternal darkness or something similar.

Goddess. Don't tell me the Master Sword is real too.

But then, the Triforce is a thing, so why the hell _wouldn't_ it be?

"Oh good," Zelda remarked coldly. "Wonderful. I finally find the Hero of Legend and he's shocked to the point he's become mute. What a great help you are. I should just leave you at Ganondorf's mercy."

My head snapped up at that, and I stared at her, eyes wide with surprise. She gave me a thoroughly irritated look before turning away and returning to dragging me down the street.

"I'm not being _serious,_ of course. He'd kill you in an instant and then he'd have two pieces of the Triforce. _Then_ how am I supposed to defeat him?"

She's got a point. How does anyone defeat evil anymore? What even is evil? Are there still people in the world that can be accurately described as evil? Was there ever? Everyone thinks they're doing the right thing. Everyone has their own motivations and their own convictions. Where does that leave me, then? I have to make the right choice, and I have no idea what that would be.

On one hand, I could help Zelda retake her throne, help re-establish the old regime and the old ways. How is that the right choice, though? The revolt happened for a _reason._ What's there to say Zelda will be any better at ruling than Agahnim? Than her parents? What's there to say she's even capable of ruling in the first place? Sure, maybe she has a piece of the Triforce and maybe that'll help her somehow, but it doesn't take a genius to see how dangerously unstable she is mentally.

I'd be risking what little peace and stability Hyrule has left on the off-chance that this girl is somehow better at leading than anyone else who is possibly an option.

I'm not sure I want to do that.

If what she says about me is true, then I'm probably somehow required by destiny to fix all the problems in the world and banish evil from it.

The problem is deciding who the evil one actually is. The king and the general, who have kept a country stricken by civil war and chaos for who knows how long together without it falling into complete anarchy, or the girl whose only goal seems to be the destruction of civilisation itself and the anarchy everyone has been trying so hard to avoid?

"…have you considered the Master Sword?" I suggested dryly.

She stopped dead. "I'm _sorry?"_

"You know, the Blade of Evil's Bane…what? It's not that ridiculous. No more so than me suddenly being the Hero of Legend and possessing a piece of the Triforce."

"How do you know about that sword?" she demanded furiously, grabbing my shoulders tightly and shaking me a little. "What do you know about it? Link! Tell me, _right now!"_

"Wha- I…I don't know anything about it! Just…just the legends."

She stared at me with wide eyes that seemed to burn with rage and for a few brief seconds, she didn't move, gripping my shoulders so tightly her fingernails bit into my skin. I winced and tried to pull away, but she kept me exactly where I was. She's surprisingly strong, for a teenage girl who looks like she's spent the better part of her life on the brink of starvation. It's unnerving.

She's just _full_ of surprises, it seems.

Then, slowly, her grip on me slackened. She kept her head down, turned back around and started gently tugging me down the street again, moving almost silently.

"Don't," she whispered.

"Don't what?"

"Don't talk about that sword. Link, I'm serious. If you want to live, do not ever mention that accursed weapon in my presence again."

_Accursed weapon?_

That sword has been called a lot of things, not all of it positive, but accursed weapon is going a bit far.

"You can't do that."

"Can't do what?"

"Freak out the second I mention something, demand to know what I know about it and then threaten me with death should I ever speak of it again."

She let out a loud, harsh, bitter, vaguely insane sounding shout of laughter. "What do you know about it? What do you know about _anything?_ I'm the princess of Hyrule! _I'm_ the rightful heir to the throne! I can _do_ whatever I _want."_

I looked away. "You know, that kind of attitude on behalf of your family is what triggered the revolt in the first place."

I'm going to regret saying that.

It's true, but I'm going to regret saying that. For the rest of my life, probably.

Much to my surprise, Zelda barely reacted at all to my words. She went quiet, and didn't turn back to face me or punch me or whatever I was scared she would end up doing. I was worried she was about to either burst into tears or stab me. I'm not sure which one I found worse.

"Do not speak of things you can't possibly hope to understand, Link," she told me, her voice barely above a whisper.

I stopped, forcing her to halt as well since she was blatantly refusing to let go of me. We stood motionless for a brief moment, still and silent, waiting for the other to react.

"What's there to say I don't understand?" I asked her, keeping my voice quiet and low. "I was there."

She whipped around to face me, eyes flashing. "You were but a child."

"And you _weren't?"_ I asked incredulously. "Zelda, we're the same age, and by the way, you spent the vast majority of your childhood locked away in Hyrule Castle along with your parents. Not to mention you've spent the last ten years in exile. Do you want to know why the revolt happened? Why people let that happen to your parents? It's because the old king, _your father,_ didn't care about anyone but the upper classes, and that drove people to violence."

"Oh, and I suppose Agahnim and Ganondorf are wonderfully caring and treat everyone equally," she snapped back at me, returning to dragged me down the street despite that there were other people around and we were gleaning more than a few odd glances.

"I never _said_ that," I snapped. "Although to be perfectly honest, the king _does_ treat everyone equally. Everyone faces the same punishment for the same crime, no matter their socioeconomic background."

Her lip curled. "I never imagined they would be so good at brainwashing that they managed to get to the Hero of Legend, of _all_ people."

I gritted my teeth. "I'm _not_ the Hero of Legend."

She didn't even bother to argue with me. "Well if that's so, then you're not involved in this. The only logical course of action for you to take is for you to give me the Triforce of Courage."

"Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged," she replied coolly. "Although you'll probably just reincarnate."

A shiver went up my spine at the thought. "Don't say that."

"You don't like the thought of reincarnation?"

"I don't like the thought of being anyone who isn't me."

A small smile pulled at her lips. "In that case, you've nothing to fear. You is all you've ever been. Different versions of you, but always the same person."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It would if you understood the context," she hissed. "Just _don't _talk about that sword."

I blinked several times, taking a second to work out what she was referring to. "Why?"

She didn't reply.

"Zelda."

The silence continued.

_"Zelda."_

"Shut up."

"What-?"

"I said shut up!" she whispered furiously at me, shoving me against a wall and clamping a hand over my mouth. I stared at her incredulously, waiting for her to pull away. She didn't. She pressed herself against me, forcing me harder against the wall to the point I was struggling to breathe properly. Zelda didn't seem to care, too distracted with looking around the deserted little back alley we were in, apparently paranoid that we were being followed. And then, slowly, she pulled away from me.

"If you move an inch from that spot, and if I hear even the slightest sound escape you, Ganondorf will be the _least_ of your worries, soldier boy," she murmured in a dangerous tone before pulling away from me completely.

To be fair, Ganondorf is probably already the least my worries at the moment. Mostly because all I have to go on with him being any kind of threat to me was Zelda's brief little episode in which she told me that little piece of information.

I still have no idea what that episode was supposed to be. Did she briefly gain psychic powers somehow, or was it all an elaborate act on her part so I would go along with her attempt to skip town? That seems a little convoluted, even for her. Besides, the general was giving me all kinds of odd looks when he was at the barracks before Zelda's first attack. He probably sensed the Triforce of Courage. He probably knows. It's logical that he'd come after me.

Okay. When exactly did I become a fugitive?

"What are you- …h-hey! Zelda!" I gasped as she immediately pulled out a knife and rest the flat of the blade against my neck.

"What part of 'don't move and keep quiet' do you not understand?" she snarled. "Be sure not to disobey me again. You will regret it."

I pushed her away and drew the sword the Sheikah – Impa – had given me. "I wouldn't threaten the one person you're trying to keep on your side."

She kept her eyes on the sword pointed at her chest and smiled faintly. "You're so bold all of a sudden, Link. What brought this on?"

"It's been a stressful day, and I don't like being ordered around like that."

"You're in the _military."_

"I was _conscripted."_

"You always use that excuse."

"Funny about that."

Zelda rolled her eyes dramatically. "I've discontinued my attack on the city, and I plan to leave immediately – I'm taking you along with me because despite everything, I actually care enough about your welfare for it to be important to me that you don't die. What more do you want?"

To think, when I woke up this morning I was in the infirmary in the barracks and Ivan was trying to convince me not to be stupid.

…Ivan.

I looked up at the darkening sky. He's probably wondering what on earth has happened to me. He might even have come out looking for me. I'm supposed to be injured, after all.

What do I tell him?

What do I say?

How do I even _start_ that conversation?

"Sure, you've stopped the bombings, and that's all well and good, but how exactly do you plan to leave a city that's in lockdown?"

Zelda seemed confused by this. "Lockdown? Why would the city be in lockdown?"

I groaned loudly. "I don't know. It's almost like there's been this series of violent terrorist attacks in which all these densely populated places have been bombed and hundreds of innocent people have died."

She turned to face me, her lip curled in what looked like disgust. "I said I'll fix it."

"Oh _sure_ you will."

"You have _doubts?"_

"Of course I have doubts! You're talking about uniting a supposedly omnipotent magical relic that isn't even supposed to exist in the first place and using it to break the space-time continuum!"

"Maybe if you weren't so ruled by what you perceive to be logic-"

She was interrupted by an impossibly loud explosion. We both whipped around just in time to see a ball of fire shoot up into the sky in the same general area as the cathedral, bits of brick and mortar flying off in several directions. There were a few seconds of stunned silence before people started screaming and running for their lives. I looked at Zelda, confused and shocked. For a while, I stood stock still before grabbing and pushing her against the wall.

"You call _that_ stopping the bombings?" I demanded furiously. "What kind of crazy psychopath _are_ you?"

"What, you think _I_ set that off?"

_"Yes,_ I think you set it off! There is literally _no one_ else to suspect!"

"You don't know anything about explosives, do you? I'd have to be within at least two hundred feet to make it go off like that! Besides, I'd barely even started lining the place when you came in."

"Oh _yeah,_ like I'm going to believe _that."_

She shook her head and pushed me off her. "Let's not argue about this right now. If the city is in lockdown like you said, then we can't afford to waste this opportunity. We need to leave immediately, while everyone is distracted."

She went to walk away, but I reached out at grabbed her arm to stop her going any further. "Whoa, hold up. I'm not done with you."

"Well I am done with this city. Believe what you want to believe. I'm going. Stay here and die if you want."

She ripped herself from my grip and started running, off in the direction of city outskirts. I stood stock still for a brief, tense moment before swearing violently to myself and running after her.

I'm never going to live this down.

I'm never going to forgive myself for this.


	10. Chapter Ten

Chaos.

More explosions.

People running, screaming, fighting to get away.

For some people, this is it. The end times have come. For them, this is the Armageddon, the final holy war between good and evil.

That's…kind of what Zelda's doing, or trying to. Immanentize the eschaton.

In her view, anyway. Create the perfect existence, eternal peace and tranquillity for Hyrule and all the lands beyond by burning it all to the ground.

I'm not sure life, the world, or even existence in general works that way. I don't think it's possible for a mortal to do something that only the goddesses are supposed to be able to do.

Nevertheless, people are terrified that this is the end of days.

And now the cathedral is gone, adding to the hysteria.

Raving lunatics on the street no one ever paid any attention before are suddenly met with crowds of anxious, terrified listeners. People rush around, praying desperately to all the gods they know of for forgiveness for their sins and looking for some semblance of peace, for some small sign that there is in fact a life beyond death.

The capital is in disarray. Fear and turmoil is everywhere.

It can only be so long until Hyrule falls as a nation.

And then there's me, idiotic, too-morally-grounded-for-his-own-good _me,_ the previously unknowing owner of the Triforce of Courage, supposedly the Hero of Legend, sprinting as fast as possible through the endless maze of streets after a girl who is mentally unstable, if not completely insane and appears to be intent on bringing down the entire world as we know it, through any means necessary.

Great. Wonderful.

This is so _not_ how I'd anticipated spending my day.

Zelda is the bomber.

She freely admitted that. Several times, even. There's no reason why she should deny doing this when she's been more than happy to accept responsibility for the other attacks. So either she's had this all set up beforehand in order to provide a distraction during which she could escape – despite not realising that the entire city is lockdown – and she lied to me, again; or she was genuinely as surprised as I was when the cathedral went up and there's another bomber behind this particular attack. And that possibility is terrifying.

I can't think about this right now. I need to focus on finding her. I'm scared of what she'll end up doing with no one around to stop her. Who knows? All you have to consider is what she's already done and entertain the idea of her out there on her own, more desperate than ever to get what she wants for just a brief second or two before you know that it's a really, _really_ bad idea to let her go on her own way.

She's been going after Ganondorf this whole time – trying to get his piece of the Triforce. Trying to avenge her family. She's going to kill him. There's not a doubt in my mind that's what she intends to do. She'll stop at nothing to get what she wants, and what she wants is the Triforce…so what's stopping her from killing me? Going after her, being anywhere _near_ her is probably a bad, _bad_ idea as far as my survival is concerned.

And here I am, running after her anyway.

I'm an idiot.

I'm _such_ an idiot.

My name is Link, I'm supposed to be the reincarnation of the greatest warrior who ever lived and I'm an _idiot._

What am I doing? Where am I going? What exactly do I plan to do outside the capital? Outside _Hyrule?_ How can I possibly expect to be able to reign in a girl who remains unintimidated by a fully armed Sheikah warrior, or someone as impossibly huge and blatantly terrifying to be around such the general? Who is unafraid of openly denying the _king,_ of all people? How am I supposed to stop someone like that? The only thing I have going for me is something I really, really don't want to be true.

Please don't let it be true.

There has to be some kind of mistake.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. I used to have dreams and aspirations beyond being a soldier for the rest of my life – or for the rest of _eternity,_ as Zelda so un-delicately put it.

I could've been anything. A blacksmith, a carpenter, a sailor, an explorer, a farm-hand.

But no. This had to happen.

Because I'm not allowed to have a choice.

And this is my life now.

Suddenly, I was surrounded by unfamiliar people. I recognised the uniform of the Castle Guard almost immediately, not that it helped much. All that told me was that these people were probably more experienced than me and if I don't at least try to defend myself, I'll get executed.

Nevermind that even if I _do_ try to defend myself and still end up getting taken, I'll probably end up getting myself executed anyway.

I don't want to die. I'm not in the mood.

Screw it.

I drew my sword. I didn't think. I didn't wait.

I stabbed the man closest to me in the gut, impaling him and watching the bloodied tip of my sword appear through the skin of his back before pulling away and letting the lifeless body to fall to the ground, blood pooling on the pavement.

I slammed my foot hard into another man's chest as he ran at me, the force from the blow sending him straight to the ground. The instant his back hit the pavement, I brought my sword down on him. There was a sickening sound as the blade punctured his clothes, his mail, his skin, and tore through his gut viciously. I ripped the sword from the flesh of what would very soon be a corpse if it wasn't already and turned to engage the next person.

A few slashes, a few parries, a couple of quick steps and well-timed dodges – it was nothing, really. My mind barely registered what I was doing. Everything seemed automatic, like I'd done it before, a million times before, to the point it was no longer something I had to think about, or put any effort into.

I slowed just enough to hear footsteps behind me, alerting me to the presence of one more person. I whirled around, bringing my sword crashing down in what would've been a crushing blow to the head, but my attack was parried mid-swing.

"I'm not going to fight you, Link," a horribly familiar voice told me flatly.

I blinked several times in surprise and looked up to find Ivan standing before me, his sword halting mine. My eyes widened and I almost immediately pulled back. Ivan looked immensely relieved as I did this and quickly sheathed his own sword before holding his hands up in an attempt to look harmless – like he would've done if I was an enraged wild animal of something similar. I looked down at the blood on my uniforms and the corpses that surrounded me. That's probably not too far off the mark.

"…I-Ivan?" I stammered uselessly. Immediately, I started shaking, my legs gave way and I fell to my knees.

What just…what even happened? I don't know what just happened to me.

The realisation and the horror of what I just did came crashing down on me like a tidal wave.

I just killed people.

Real, live, breathing people with families they probably wanted to protect and who probably didn't want to be where they were any more than I did-

Oh no. No, no, _no._

This isn't happening. This can't be happening to me.

I think I'm going to be sick.

For a brief moment, Ivan remained where he was, utterly confused by the situation. Then in seemingly no time at all, he shook his head a little, grabbed me and pulled me up off the ground, down the street and around several corners before he finally let go of me. I slumped against the wall, still shaking. Still completely useless.

I killed them.

I'm a killer.

I didn't even think.

I just killed them.

When did I become the kind of person who does that?

"W-what…what are you doing here? Ivan? I thought- …you're not…"

He smiled grimly and looked me up and down, taking time assess my general state of being. It wasn't good.

"You're far more lethal than you let on, Link," he said in an alarmingly casual voice, considering he's just witnessed me take out three, maybe four – I can't tell, I wasn't paying that much attention; oh _goddess,_ I wasn't even paying _attention_ – soldiers, all of which have far more experience than me. "You've been holding out on me. Maybe you _do_ belong in the military."

I kept my head down, remaining silent.

There's so much blood on my uniform.

Their blood? Or mine?

Both.

It's both.

I'm bleeding.

I didn't even notice.

The second I realised this, the shock of everything wore off and pain ripped through me, forcing me to double over, clutching my abdomen and gritting my teeth as I tried to ignore it, even just a little. All my injuries are catching up with me. I shouldn't keep doing this – I'll only get myself killed.

Is that where I'm at now? Only my life matters?

They weren't some evil monsters. They were _people._

Ivan knelt down beside me, clearly worried.

"What happened to you?" he asked me quietly, looking genuinely concerned. "Link, seriously. The moment you took off the freaking_Castle Guard_ came to the barracks and tore up the place looking for you. They said something about committing crimes against the crown, and being part of the bombings."

With a great effort, I lifted my eyes to his. "Ivan, I…"

What do I say?

What _can_ I say?

"I know it's not true," he assured me quietly, grabbing my wrist and pulling me upright before wrapping his arm around my waist and sort of half-carrying me down the street. "Wouldn't make any sense, for one thing. I'm not going to pretend I know what's going on with you and why the king is after you. I'm not sure I want to know. But you have to get out of the city."

"I-I …I…"

"Where did you learn to fight like that? Link? Are you going to say anything that isn't incoherent stammering?"

I remained silent, keeping my head down, my mind still reeling. Ivan sighed a little and rolled his eyes.

"Come on Link. Do something that's going to assure me that you're capable of surviving outside the city on your own. You know you want to."

"…Zelda," I mumbled.

"Eh?"

"I need to find Zelda."

"You mean…the princess? I'm pretty sure she's dead."

I blinked several times in surprise. Somehow, I managed to forget that no one else knows that she's still alive. Somehow, that managed to completely slip my mind. How, I don't know. I guess I just got distracted by everything else that was happening. I can't tell him the truth. Zelda would probably kill me if I did and in any case, it's not my secret to tell.

I shook my head. "She's not a princess."

That's not, strictly speaking, a lie. It's been at least ten years since that girl has been anything that could come close to a princess. An ex-princess, maybe. But right now, she has no throne, no authority. All she has is her birthright, and that doesn't count for much anymore.

Ivan looked puzzled for a brief moment. "I didn't know people were still calling their children that…there's the gatehouse. We're nearly there."

I looked up to see the gatehouse, jutting out of the wall surrounding the city. It would be guarded – not as heavily as it would've been at any other time, because of the bombings that happened today, but still guarded.

My blood ran cold at the thought of killing people again.

I can't do that. Not while Ivan's here. Not again.

I pulled away from him, clutching my side in some vain attempt to stop the bleeding. I should really get it bandaged as soon as possible. Preferably _before_ I bleed out.

"You should go," I told Ivan quietly. "If they find out you helped me, you'll be executed."

He nodded curtly and turned to go without argument. He knows when he's out of his depth. What can I say? He has a better sense of self-preservation than I do. He doesn't have a death wish.

_Or _a complicated destiny that is an intrinsic part of his existence.

"Ivan," I called at his retreating back.

He stopped and turned to face me, his eyebrows raised curiously.

"Thanks. For- …for everything."

He smiled faintly. "You'd better haul your ass outta here while you still can."

And with that, he was gone.

I turned and ran to the gatehouse, sword drawn, trying to keep my mind calm and clear. I can't afford to freak out. I need to be able to focus. I need to leave this godforsaken city, my life depends on it. I can afford to let anyone who gets in my way to live. I'm a soldier, after all. Killing is what I do.

There was the corpse of a guard, a river of dried blood trailing from a vast multitude of wounds that looked like they were part of some kind of carefully inflicted torture, pinned to the wall by several knives that had been driven into him. Flies buzzed around the corpse, and a stray dog was tentatively sniffing the blood pooling on the ground, looking for some kind of meal. I kept going, unable to shake the feeling that I was going to see a lot of this kind of thing.

It's sickening.

I can't believe this is happening.

I can't believe this is what the world has come to.

Hyrule was supposed to be this beautiful, fertile land full of life and goodness, the promised land of the gods where the people lived in happiness, peace and harmony.

Look at us now. Hundreds of years of war and unrest, and this is what we have to show for it.

Is this it, then? Is this really the Armageddon? I never used to believe in that kind of thing, but _now…_

Now I don't know _what_ to believe.

Inside the gatehouse, I was met with more bodies, dispatched in a similar way to the first one I'd encountered. Dried blood had been splattered across the floor, the walls, like a wild animal had torn through here. And in the middle of it all sat Zelda, cross legged on the ground, wiping the blade of an intricate looking knife clean.

And somehow I'm not at all surprised.

I walked past her without saying a word, knowing she would follow me. I'm too valuable to her cause for her to simply let me go out on my own way, and I don't know what she'll do on her own.

So it looks like we're stuck together. For now, anyway.

She stood up, brushing the dust off her dress before trailing after me. "I've laced the gatehouse with explosives already. They won't be able to follow us until they clear out the rubble. It'll give us a little headway."

That's…an annoyingly clever idea.

"You're covered in blood, soldier."

"Am I?"

She smiled crookedly. "Rough day?"

I didn't look back at her. "Don't even _start."_

I kept walking out into the vast expanse of grassland that was Hyrule Field, still hugging myself tightly and willing the bleeding to stop, or for the wound to not be as bad as I think it is, never looking back at the capital as a ball of flame erupted behind me. Never looking back at the city I've called home my entire life.

I'm Link.

I'm the wielder of the Triforce of Courage.

I'm the Hero of Legend.

And I will never look back.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Hyrule Field seemed like an endless, almost dizzying expanse of long, pale green grass that bent and swayed in every possible direction, completely at the mercy of the wind. For the first time in my life, I felt I was starting to understand just what that feels like. I shuffled and staggered forwards, clutching my side and as a consequence the wound that had probably been improperly bandaged because I wasn't thinking entirely straight when I did it, squinting through the glare of the sunset, swatting blindly at flies that weren't really there.

I suppose, under normal circumstances, it would've been beautiful. It's so vast, open and empty. I've never seen anything like it before. There's no sign of any kind of civilisation, not for miles. There's a dark shadow, a thin line that runs across the landscape, which I assume has to be the Hyrule Wall. It looks so distant, so far away. Everything is so much bigger than I'd ever anticipated. Somehow I'd managed to get it into my head that I could traverse across Hyrule in just under a day. I don't know where I got that impression from. I don't know how long we've been walking now, but it's certainly been more than a day. I lose track. It's hard to focus.

Everything looks the same. I don't have any idea of where I'm going, but I assume I'm headed in the right direction because Zelda hasn't made any cutting remarks about my sense of direction. Every time she opens her mouth it's to criticise me, so when she's silent I have to assume that means I've done something right.

Of course, if I _really_ wanted her off my back, I'd just give her my piece of the Triforce and be done with it.

Which would be a _perfect_ plan, if it didn't consist of her attacking the capital, laying siege to Hyrule Castle, and generally going on a violent murder spree I'd really rather avoid at all costs.

She wants the Triforce. In order to get it, she needs to defeat Ganondorf, the general, or whatever he's known as. To do that, she needs me. That much I know. That much I've been able to deduce.

So basically, I'm stuck here, completely at the mercy of forces that are well beyond my control, much like the grass is at the mercy of the wind.

I don't like it.

I don't like not having control over my life.

I don't like not being the one who decides which direction to go in.

It's _my_ life. I'm the one who has to deal with it all, the consequences of people's actions. I'm supposed to be the one who decides. Surely, that's everyone's god given right, to be the one who decides. I never realised just how much I valued that until now. You never notice these things until they're gone.

I don't even have the _illusion_ of choice anymore.

Is the back of my hand glowing again, or is it the glare? Or is it all just a hallucination and I've just lost that much blood?

I've lost so much blood.

I'm sweating more than I should be. I can't seem to focus. My pulse is weak and erratic. My breathing is fast and shallow.

Please tell me this isn't hypovolemic shock.

Which of course makes it hypovolemic shock.

I _know_ it is.

Where's Zelda?

Is she behind me? Or in front? She could be right next to me and I wouldn't know.

Zelda?

What even _is_ this place?

Where am I?

How long have I been out here?

Days?

_Weeks?_

I don't know.

I don't know anymore.

I can't tell.

"Stop."

I blinked in surprise at the sound of Zelda's voice, pausing for just a fraction of a second. She hasn't spoken to me since we left the capital, who knows how long ago. I didn't think it had been that long, but hearing her voice now is sort of jarring. I shook my head violently and continued walking, adamant about getting _somewhere_ today, somewhere real, somewhere corporeal rather than this endless expanse of plain, this sea of grass.

If we were on horseback we would already be at the Hyrule Wall. We would probably be well beyond the Wall by now. I don't know how far it is, but I hadn't expected it to take this long. The world is so much bigger than what I thought it was. It's huge. It's expansive. It's endless. I'm starting to feel like I'll die of exhaustion long before I ever get anywhere.

How did I manage to spend all seventeen years of my life in the capital and never wonder what it was like outside? Was I really that concerned with myself and my own problem that natural curiosity simply escaped me? What's _wrong _with me?

"Link, stop," Zelda told me sharply, gripping my arm fiercely and forcing me to a halt. "You're going to kill yourself."

I'm surprised she cares.

My eyebrows rose incredulously, but I didn't try to break her hold on me. "Why do _you_ care?"

"It's not in my best interest for you to die," she told me monotonously. "Otherwise you would be dead already."

So if I _hadn't_ inexplicably turned out to be the Hero of Legend…a shiver went up my spine at the thought. No. I don't want to think about this. Not right now.

"…thanks?"

She sat down, never loosening her grip on me and so forcing me to sit down as well. Almost the exact moment I hit the ground she forced me down onto my back and immediately started pulling at my clothes. I shied away from her, incredibly uncomfortable with the whole situation. Possibly more uncomfortable than I've ever been in my entire life. Zelda herself seemed to be unconcerned with my feelings and started getting increasingly frustrated at my unwillingness to cooperate with her.

"Let me look at it," she ordered.

"I'm fine."

"You're _not_ fine. You're barely even functioning. I thought they taught you how to treat and bandage any wounds you sustain in the military?"

"They did. They do. I just…I waited too- h-hey! Ah! _Ow! What do you think you're doing?"_

She ignored me, and continued prodding at what I had decided was a stab wound despite me making audible noises of pain and general discomfort. I don't think she cared. But then, since when did she care about anything other than the Triforce and taking back her country? She could just let me die. Then she'd have exactly what she wants from me, no problems, no fuss. I don't see how me dying isn't in her best interest right now. I would've thought the opposite.

"If you weren't still weak from the attack on the barracks this wouldn't be half as bad," she murmured.

My eyes narrowed. "Oh. Right. Sure. Sorry for getting caught up in your first terrorist bombing. I'll try to stay out of your way next time."

This time she shot me a dirty look before returning to ignoring me. "I can't heal this, not out here. You need a medic. Until we find one, you're forbidden to die. Understood, soldier? No dying. That's an order."

I sat up, grunting in pain as I did so. "Do you take pleasure in ordering me around or something? Because you do it a lot."

She shrugged. "People like you can't survive without a commanding officer."

People like me.

What even _are _people like me? Is that even a category that exists? There isn't anyone else like me. I'm one of a kind. That's what she's spent this entire time trying to convince me of. I finally come to accept it, and now she's screwing with that? What is her _problem?_ Why does she feel the constant need to do this to me? Does she simply take delight in watching _other_ people struggle for a change?

"Or maybe you're just a control freak."

She smiled sweetly at me. "Keep in mind, Link, that I am the only thing between you and death at the moment. Insulting me may not be your wisest option."

I was never particularly wise.

And somehow, Zelda didn't seem to really mind this. She didn't seem to be paying attention to me at all. She was staring aimlessly off into the distance, her expression somewhat vacant, like she was lost in some distant memory from forever ago. She might've been, but she didn't give any indication that this assumption or any other was correct.

"We should get to the Wall tomorrow morning. We're not too far," she muttered. "After that, we'll head to the Eldin Province."

"Eldin…Province?" I repeated, utterly confused and at a loss of what she was talking about.

She let out a harsh sigh. "The Eldin Province of Hyrule."

"I thought you said it's beyond the Wall?"

"It _is _beyond the Wall," she told me irritably. "Hyrule is bigger than the little walled off part of it you know. There are the different provinces, different parts of it, inhabited by different races. Being Hyrulean doesn't automatically make you a Hylian."

That makes no sense to me at all. People from Hyrule who aren't Hylians? _Everyone_ in Hyrule is a Hylian, or at least, everyone except the general. I don't even know what the general is. I don't know how he came to get in Hyrule in the first place, but I suppose if we can get out, he could get in. But he's not from Hyrule. He can't be from Hyrule.

"I thought they walled Hyrule off from the rest of the world?"

"In the conclusion of the last civil war, they walled _inner_ Hyrule off from the rest of the world," she corrected. "Cut off trade and forced everyone to become self-sufficient even though Inner Hyrule is where all the good farming land is. Honestly Link, didn't they ever teach you the history of your nation in the army?"

My eyes narrowed. "No, of course not. It's the _army _we're talking about here. Why would they have taught it?"

They teach exactly two things in the military. How to kill other people and how to avoid getting killed yourself. Beyond that, nothing matters. Nothing is important. If you know those two things, then you're a qualified soldier and are to remain that way until you either find a trade to take up instead, or you go down in a blaze of blood and glory in combat. Or you're executed for whatever reason. Desertion, usually.

Desertion, which is _exactly _what I've just gone and done.

I have a feeling I would've ended up on death row any if I had stayed, but…I don't know. Maybe if I'd never gone after Zelda, or never gotten up to walk around that first night I met her, this wouldn't have happened to me. Or, everything would've happened anyway, and I would've been captured and executed without any idea why, ridding the world of the Hero of Legend. In that case, meeting Zelda saved my life and maybe, just _maybe,_ this was all somehow planned by a higher power.

Because, fate.

Destiny.

And all of that idiotic, childish stuff from fairy tales that I never really believed in until a few days ago.

I really, _really _don't like not being the one in control over my life.

"Then your parents should've taught it to you."

I let out a shout of bitter laughter. _"What_ parents?"

Orphan with no discernible background, remember? I thought she already knew that. She's supposed to already know that. Just what is this girl, exactly? A walking contradiction?

It was then I suddenly realised that I can't ever go back home, back to the life I used to have before Zelda meandered into my life. I thought everything was chaotic before – it's nothing compared to the nightmare I'm living right now.

It _is_ a nightmare that I'm living. Last time I was anywhere near a grassy hillside like this it was in the dream that I'm starting to feel like started this whole mess.

Any moment now, I'm going to walk up to the top of a hill and see the standing corpse of the general looming over me, and the woman standing there impassively.

The woman, who remains an enigma.

I looked over at Zelda briefly, and my eyes widened just a little.

I sat up. "Oh…_goddess."_

"Mm?"

"It was you."

"Excuse me?"

"It was _you,"_ I repeated, massaging my forehead furiously. "Of _course_ it was you. It was you _both times."_

Zelda watched me a little warily, which I almost found amusing. It's a rare occurrence indeed when _I'm_ the crazy one out of the two of us. Then, slowly, she cracked a wide grin, and all was normal once again.

"You know, I was _wondering_ when you were going to put that together. Past lives are such a _pain,_ aren't they?"

No. No, no, _no._ I can't have been having dreams about her before I even met her.

Why didn't I recognise her?

Probably because in the dreams, she wasn't an insane sadistic pagan vagrant bomber terrorist ex-princess out to kill a general, avenge her family, take back her country, unite the Triforce and destroy the world. That might have had something to do with it.

Don't tell me I knew this girl in a past life. In multiple past lives. Don't tell me I've even had past lives at all, where those dreams actually happened and I knew her. I just…I can't…I don't want to think about it.

Small wonder why I'm so neurotic at times.

"Lay back down. I'm going to bandage this again because you're apparently incompetent at applying first aid."

I blinked in surprise at her sudden change of subject, but immediately did what she said, seeing no real reason to argue. She smiled faintly.

"There's a good boy."

"Don't patronise me. I'm not a dog."

She nodded a little in agreement. "Not a dog. A wolf, maybe. But not a dog."

I didn't bother to ask her what she meant by that. I'm not sure I wanted to know.

"I know a medic in Kakariko," she murmured as she worked, once again changing the subject. "He isn't particularly averse to treating Hylians. We'll go see him when we get there."

"What do you mean, he's not averse to treating Hylians?"

Zelda smiled slightly at my question. "It's nothing noteworthy, soldier. Relax. Simply a commonly held political view based on the actions of our ancestors that we cannot help. I would advise against needlessly throwing yourself into danger in an attempt to change people's minds."

"…is that the kind of thing I'm likely to do?"

"Yes," she answered simply.

"When have I _ever_ done something like that?"

"Oh Link," she sighed a little wistfully. "You have _no_ idea."


	12. Chapter Twelve

We inched closer to the Hyrule Wall, one step at a time, both of us driven solely by an unrelenting fear of ever being found. Getting caught wasn't an option, not for either of us. I knew I faced execution should I ever find myself in custody and I didn't want to _think_ about what would Zelda would go through. Execution as well, undoubtedly. It'd probably be public. And if she was really very lucky, that would be all.

I drifted in and out, sometimes aware of where I was and the reality of the situation, other times everything seemed vague, hazy, out of focus, and I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. All I could was keep moving forward, slowly, biting back the pain and trying to maintain some semblance of awareness. Trying to stop myself from going completely around the bend. Maybe I was already too far gone. Maybe we'll get to this place Zelda wants to get to and I'll be committed, because I can't distinguish between real and imaginary anymore. Anyone could say anything to me and I'd believe it.

But then…the state of the world right now…it seems like no one is beyond anything anymore. I'm living in a world where people live in fear that the End has come, my country is ruled by a king who everyone thinks is a tyrant but won't dare to speak out against and a seventeen year old girl has been driven to the point where she's so desperate for revenge that she's lost any semblance of morality and will happily rip through the entire capital just so she can have a fleeting chance at achieving some kind of closure and gaining a little peace in her life.

And I was pessimistic _before_ any of this happened.

I can't believe this. The Triforce is real, the Hero of Legend has surfaced once again – let's just ignore the fact that it's me – and the rightful heir to the throne of Hyrule has turned out to be alive. I should be hopeful. I should be a little more idealistic than I was before. Finally, there is some ray of hope, some small hint of light at the end of this dark tunnel. I shouldn't be despairing. Not now. Not like this. If anything, this, my existence here at all, marks change. It means that the Goddesses still care and things will get better. They have to.

I wish, I _wish_ I could believe that.

Because it's like Zelda said, isn't it? Before things change, before anything gets better, there will be war and chaos and widespread death. Things might get better, the state of everything may improve, and everything might be better than before in the end, but some horrific things need to take place before that happens.

As if watching the world crumble to pieces around me wasn't enough.

As if killing people wasn't enough.

I can't do this.

I know it's expected of me and it's supposed to be my destiny to bring about a better state of living because that's why I – me, or people like me – exist in the first place and it's my purpose in the grand scheme of things, but I can't.

I _can't. _

I can't do it.

I need to accept my lot in life and stop fighting and do what I know I have to do. I need to, I have to, for the good of everyone and thing.

And I can't do it. I can't bring myself to do what's necessary. I'd sooner fall on my own sword.

It needs to end.

It has to end.

I don't want to fight anymore.

Zelda, _she's_ the fighter. She's the one who does what she feels is right, is willing to make sacrifices and do whatever she must to achieve her goal. Why can't she do it? Why can't she be the one who happens to be the Hero of Legend? Why does it have to be me?

I want to go home.

I just want to go home, and it kills me every time I think about it because I know that no matter how much I want to return to my old life and the way everything was before I was dragged out on this journey, I can't go back. Going back isn't an option anymore. I've lost everything. I never thought I'd take losing everything this hard – I never really had much to lose in the first place. But I finally had some vague semblance of a life after who knows how long of nothing, of growing up in either an orphanage or in the slums of the capital. I had some sort of purpose, some kind of place in society where I wasn't barely more than vermin.

Look at me. Fleeing across Hyrule Field, running for my life because of obscure aspect of my being that I was never even aware of until now.

I'm going to have to lie to everyone about who I am every day for the rest of my life.

Yeah. Sure. I say that like I haven't been lying constantly to everyone of significance in my life already.

Zelda and I are far more similar than I'd like to admit.

A shiver went up my spine at the thought.

I'm not like her.

I'm nothing like her.

Nothing like her? Link, look – just _look _– at both your lives for a brief moment. No home, no family to speak of, alone, on the run and wielding a piece of the Triforce. Denial isn't going to get you anywhere. Might as well face the truth. Whether you like it or not, your experiences are somewhat similar in a lot of regards.

I looked up, blinking past the glare in order to clearly make out Zelda's back as she walked ahead of me, never looking back. She used to look back all the time, to make sure I was still there. Maybe she's come to a point where she is comfortable that I'll follow her. She's the one who knows her way around, after all. If I want to live through this, and avoid dying of blood loss out here then I need to stay with her.

I'm surprised we haven't hit any villages or towns since leaving. Maybe she's doing her best to avoid coming across any sort of civilisation, since we're both technically fugitives.

She's better at this than I am.

Of course she is. She's been doing this, wandering aimlessly from place to place and living on as little as possible for a decade. Why did I ever think she wouldn't know exactly what she's doing? Did I just assume that everyone is like me, that no one has ever been outside the capital and this is a strange, new, unexplored world as far as anyone is concerned? Why do I do that?

What's _wrong_ with me?

She's tied her hair back into a small pony tail, allowing the shorter parts to fall messily in front of her face.

It's a look a lot of men with slightly longer hair have. I used to wear it like that myself, before Ivan repeatedly told me it didn't suit me and convinced me to cut it off.

Goddess. I'm so desperate not to think about the weight of the situation that I'm analysing _hairstyles. _

There are so many questions I want to ask her. Where we're going, what it's like outside the Wall, what the people are like, what these apparent other races are and what their culture is like, how people manage to survive outside the Wall, if there are any Hylians out there or if every one of our own race lives much the same way I did. There's so many things I want to ask. So many things I'm curious about.

But I don't.

I don't say anything.

Partly because I'm so exhausted I can hardly articulate anything and I'm sure I won't remember the answer anyway.

Mostly because, as much I hate to admit it, Zelda frightens me. She terrifies me. Everything she says, everything she does; it's frightening. I'd like to engage her in conversation as little as possible because she's a radical extremist who needs very little nudging before she gets tipped over the edge completely. The more time I spend with her the more I wonder why I'm in any way comfortable with her being anywhere near me. She's terrifying and unsettling and unnerving. She's dangerous and wild and erratic and barely lucid most of the time. I'm not sure she's even aware of the magnitude of what she's done.

She didn't start out this way.

I don't know what she's been through these past ten years.

Something tells me I don't particularly _want_ to know.

That doesn't mean I condone her actions.

That doesn't mean I agree with her sentiment that Hyrule should burn in order to begin anew. She's killed hundreds of innocent people and she doesn't seem to care. I guess that's because she's convinced that she can fix it, make it so none of this ever happened. She's so sure of it that she's willing to put everything on the line just so she can assemble the Triforce. And the worst part of it, she's so close now.

She already has one piece.

Another piece is in the capital, with the man she's hell bent on killing anyway.

The last piece is just a few feet behind her, not that I'm going to let her have it any time soon. Or ever.

Power has this nasty habit of going to people's heads, after all.

The old Royal Family took their responsibilities and their power for granted and lost the respect of the people. In the end, their power meant nothing, and it did nothing to save them.

Many people remain adamant that Agahnim was a good man before the revolt, before he became king. Now he's a controlling, domineering tyrant who needs to dictate how each and every one of us lives our lives, and if one doesn't do so, they pay dearly for it – with their lives, usually.

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Zelda's already been corrupted. She's already broken, she's already lost, just a shadow of herself. She's already so far gone I'm not sure if she can be saved. I can't help but think she's not really out to save anyone, or anything. The only thing she wants is revenge, and she's using the Triforce and saving Hyrule as justification for it. Who knows what she'll really do the second anything is possible for her? She's dangerous enough as it is. She's erratic and volatile and is already looking to destroy everything.

I don't want to give her the means to do so.

I don't know. I don't know how to feel about her.

On one hand, I don't want to be anywhere near her, and I don't want her anywhere near a completed, united, fully assembled Triforce.

On the other, she's a seventeen year old girl driven to such desperate extremes because of external factors she had no control over. She watched her parents get murdered when she was a little girl and has been living in exile ever since, and I'm scared _for _her. I'm worried about her safety.

But then, Zelda is more than capable of looking after herself. You look at her and you think, oh that poor girl, all lost and alone, how on earth does she manage to get by? You wonder, but you don't really want to know. Because the truth is ugly and she's been driven to absolute desperation too many times to count. Her dignity, whatever is left of it, is of little importance to her.

I understand that.

I know what that feels like.

Despite everything, despite the fact that nothing in my life even comes close to what she's been through, I _do_ understand and I _have_ been there before.

I don't know.

I don't know anymore.

Life never used to be this complicated.

I'm lost and I'm confused and I'm fleeing into a great unknown while the world crumbles around me.

How am I supposed to fix it? How am I supposed to make everything better? The world and all its problems _can't_ just be magically fixed by a guy with a sword. It's not always obvious what you have to do or who your enemies really are. It's more complicated than that. It's _infinitely _more complicated than that.

Maybe Agahnim and Ganondorf are evil, like Zelda continues to insist.

But they're also what is holding the shattered remains of this country together and allows for some kind of stability.

Besides, what if I do get rid of them? Both of them? Where does that leave us? A nation in chaos and without a leader to unite it and bring it into a new, peaceful era. The only _possible_ alternate in that situation would be Zelda herself, and she's underage. She's also a terrorist who has been setting off bombs around the city and quite clearly displaying to everyone that she doesn't care about the lives of her people. She's not in her right mind. She can't govern. She's not fit to do so. If anything, she probably needs to be committed to an asylum.

There is no straight forward answer.

There is no situation in which everybody wins.

All I'm doing is condemning some people so others can live.

How am I supposed to make that choice?

How am I at all qualified to make that kind of decision?

How did it ever become my decision to _make?_

How do I know if I'm right?

What if I'm not right?

There is no way of knowing, and that _terrifies _me.

This wasn't meant to happen to me.

This wasn't how my life was going to pan out.

Why me?

I sighed quietly and shook my head. I can't do this anymore. I can't think about it, agonise over it anymore.

I need to keep going.

I need to keep moving.

Into the great unknown.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

It was never going to end. That was the conclusion I'd come to when I found myself once again trudging through the long grass of Hyrule Field – which is at least a thousand times bigger than anything called a 'field' has any right to be – squinting through the abnormally bright glare of the sun, fighting against the howling wind and trying to avoid getting too much of the dust stirred up by the wind in my eyes.

It didn't work.

"It's nothing you haven't been through a hundred times before, soldier," Zelda remarked when I dared to complain about any aspect of the current situation.

Right. Sure. A hundred times before, even though this is the first time I've been outside the capital. Because that makes so much sense, like everything about my life presently. I should really learn to stop questioning it and just roll with it. Stopping to overthink everything is only going to waste time, and it doesn't even have any added benefit. It's certainly not what's keeping me halfway sane and allowing me to have any grip at all on reality. I actually have no idea how I've managed to come this far without ending up more blatantly unstable than Zelda.

She's not a princess. I refuse to believe this girl was ever a princess.

She's as much the princess of Hyrule as I am the Hero of Legend. It might be what she claims to be true, but that doesn't automatically make it so. Weird dreams that support her theories or not. Triforce or not.

I'm not the Hero of Legend.

I'm _not._

People like that don't exist in real life.

People like that certainly don't re-enter the world as someone like me.

I shot her a dirty look. "And you know this, _how?"_

"I'm obviously more familiar with the events of your past lives than you are."

My lip immediately curled at the mention of past lives.

I don't think I've ever heard anything that sound so blatantly ridiculous.

I'm _me._

That's all I've ever been.

Don't tell me I'm not even that, that all I am and all I've ever been is some other version of someone who has existed who knows how many times before. That the person I am isn't really anyone. That I was always doomed for this to happen. I'm not.

I'm _not._

I can't be.

I thought I accepted this.

Then I thought about it, and no. I don't accept this. I don't want to even begin to accept this as reality.

I don't even know who I am anymore. I don't know who I was originally – after all, isn't that who I am, who I would be if anyone? I don't know how the _hell_ the person I originally was managed to get himself into an eternal cycle of reincarnation every time the world is in any kind of danger. I don't know why on earth he figured anything about this was a good idea.

How do I know who I am?

How am I supposed to know?

What parts of me are _me? _Are there _any_ parts of me that are me, unique to me and my existence here and now, and not somehow prompted by some former existence?

Why do I find that prospect so terrifying?

I don't want to do this.

I don't want to fight.

Please don't make me do this.

"Is it nice not remembering?" Zelda asked me quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

I halted in my tracks and my head snapped up at her words. "Wha- …huh?"

She kept moving forwards, never bothering to look back at me. "It comes with its own problems, I suppose. I shouldn't be so hasty to assume that you have it easier than me. You rarely do."

"Am I supposed to know what you're talking about?"

She stopped and turned to face me, a faint smile pulling at her lips. It was gentle and light hearted, as opposed to her usual maniacal grin. For the first time since I'd met her, she seemed normal, placid. Not the wild, erratic, highly dangerous person I've come to know her as.

"Sometimes I wonder the same thing," she admitted quietly, before pulling me violently into the cover of a nearby cluster of trees.

I staggered and was about to demand what she was doing, but she pushed me against the nearest trunk and clamped her hand over my mouth before I could do anything.

"Shh," she murmured, placing the index finger of her spare hand against her lips before cautiously pulling away. "Breathe a word and it'll be your last."

Ah, so we're back to me being threatened again.

Joy.

I shot her a questioning look, but didn't say anything. I knew better than that now. She nodded and smiled, pleased with my silence.

"Oh good. I was worried I'd have to cut out your tongue for a moment."

Her mildly relieved tone told me that her words hadn't been a joke – she had actually been seriously considering the possibility of taking a knife to me.

A shiver went up my spine at the thought.

Eventually, her expression softened. "We're near the Wall. It's probably wisest to remain as quiet as possible."

I nodded mutely as she turned heel and walked away.

"As it happens, you're far better company when you have the ability to speak, so you don't need to worry. I'll refrain from making such threats in the future. It was impulsive of me."

"I'm glad you think so."

"But if you purposely endanger me or become a threat to my mission at any point, I _will_ stab you."

I laughed bitterly. I couldn't help it. She whirled around to face me, eyes wide and her expression incredulous as to why I'd laugh in the first place.

"Already stabbed, remember?"

She glanced at my abdomen before looking back up at my face. "The point still stands. Get in my way and I'll cut you."

"Duly noted."

Not another word was exchanged between us as we used the cover of the trees to approach the Wall.

The Hyrule Wall had always been a sight to behold, and something we had all been taught to take pride in; it's the crowning achievement of engineering and innovation in Hyrule, after all. A fifty foot high wall of solid rock bordering everything even vaguely familiar in the world. Keeping us safe from all the dangers of the outside. Locking us up in a glorified cage, for over four hundred years now. It towered over both me and Zelda, reaching up into the clear blue of the sky.

It's huge.

It's vast.

It's everything I thought it would be, and yet, nothing like that at all.

I've come so far in these past few days, and so much as happened to me. I'm more aware of the world around than ever before, and it's only now it strikes me that I _still_ don't have any idea of what's beyond the Wall. I don't know what to expect once we move beyond this point. This is where my familiarity with the world ends, if it didn't way back when we left the capital. I know so little of the world. I'm little better than useless.

There was nothing but the faint whistle of the wind blowing, and the occasional twittering of birds. I looked up silently at the seemingly impassable wall of stone before us, not wanting to ask the obvious question. Zelda has gotten outside before, I'm sure she knows exactly how to do it again.

"It'll be manned," she told me dryly, taking time to point out a watchtower that loomed over the rest of the Wall – which was _saying_ something. "And if there has been any word from the capital, which there probably _has,_ they'll be on the lookout for us."

"Right."

"As such, the fact that you're wearing an army uniform may be useful."

I shook my head. "One, I'm not sure if you noticed, but my uniform is covered in dried blood, which is probably at least a little suspicious. Two, this is a _recruit_ uniform for the _City Patrol,_ not the Wall. And thirdly, no. No it won't."

Her eyebrows rose at this. "You have different uniforms in the army?"

"You didn't notice?"

She shrugged innocently. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Too busy bombing the city?"

"Something like that," she admitted quietly, before composing herself. "Fine. New plan. Attack."

"Oh great. Let's dive right in and get ourselves killed."

"Do you have a _better_ idea?"

How does she plan to fight in a _dress?_ May just be me, but I don't think that kind of attire is the most practical when it comes to fighting. Then again, it's not like she has much of a choice.

Slowly, she pulled out what I was starting to assume was her favourite knife, her fingertips tracing delicately over the intricate handle and running along the flat of the blade as if it was her firstborn child. She closed her eyes briefly, and when she did open them again, she had a wild, unpredictable look about her. I winced. I forgot how much I really, really hate it when she gets like this.

"Let's make this interesting," she said cheerfully. "How about we make it so whoever draws the most blood wins a special prize? Do try not to overexert yourself."

My eyes narrowed. "This isn't a _game, _Zelda."

"I think you'll find that _everything_ is a game, Link," she replied, suddenly cackling and giggling uncontrollably like a complete lunatic. "Race you."

And with that, she took off, sprinting at full pelt to the stairs that went up the Wall, towards the watchtower she had decided on little more than a whim to besiege. Thoroughly unnerved and just a little utterly horrified at her sudden behaviour, I drew my sword and immediately followed.

I don't want to kill people.

I'm not a killer.

But I'll be damned if I'm going to let Zelda do to these people what she did to the guards at the gatehouse back when we escaped the capital together.

The knives, the blood, the aftermath of what looked like a mindlessly sadistic torture. I wasn't going to let it happen again.

I'm better than that.

I'm better than her.

I'm not a killer.

But there wasn't even a shadow of a doubt that Zelda is exactly that – a killer. And a scarily capable one at that. She twirled around, cackling insanely as she pulled out a plethora of knives she somehow kept expertly concealed on her person at all times.

She's enjoying this.

She's having the absolute time of her life, dancing around the steps that spiralled up the watchtower, happily taking out anyone who came near her, knowing full well that anyone she missed would end up facing me.

Somehow, I thought it'd be easier, since I've killed people before. I thought I knew what I was doing, what I was getting into.

I was wrong.

I winced and flinched and had to bite back my own horror and the increasingly powerful urge to throw up every time my blade bit through flesh. Like last time I found myself in this kind of situation, everything seemed to blur together, and I wasn't entirely aware of what I was doing, even as I was doing it. I moved without thinking. It scares me how I can do something like this.

I'm not a killer.

There are so many more people here on guard duty than I thought there would be. I wasn't aware it was even still an active branch of the military.

Finally, I reached the top of the stairs, reaching the top of the Wall. The watchtower continued to reach up into the sky, but I didn't bother going up. Partly because Zelda was already here, surrounded by the carcases of disposed victims and preparing herself for another kill. Mostly because I was too exhausted by the effort it'd taken to get here in the first place and thought of scaling the watchtower made me want to pass out right then and there.

Barely any time at all had passed when someone appeared seemingly out of nowhere, sword drawn, heading straight for Zelda, who seemed entirely unperturbed by the oncoming threat to her life.

Several needle-like blades shot out between her fingers, as she clenched her hand into a tight fist and punched her opponent on the chest – the thin blades going straight between his ribcage and puncturing the lung. She held him like that for too long, watching him impassively as he struggled to breathe, blood dribbling from his mouth as he hacked and coughed and gasped for air. Zelda stood motionless, perfectly happy to watch him struggle and fight for survival when his death at her hands was now inevitable.

I couldn't watch as she toyed with him, with his life. I couldn't stand to see her insane, sadistic grin that displayed her perfectly straight white teeth with someone else's blood splattered across her face. It's a game to her. Everything is a game to her, and she doesn't care about anything but winning.

This is sick.

It's _sick._

_She's_ sick. She's absolutely twisted if she can do this because lives mean so little to her.

This isn't a game.

I took a few steps towards the pair of them and thrust my sword into his back, killing him. He slumped to the ground since he no longer had anything left to keep him standing and Zelda withdrew, looking at me incredulously and in what looked to me like shock. She was behaving as if I'd destroyed the only thing she had left in her life that gave her any kind of small inkling of happiness.

I don't care.

I draw the line at needless torture.

Zelda shot me a brief glare before flouncing off to find someone else to torment. I would've followed her, but before I could even go another step I heard the sound of a sword slicing through the air behind me and immediately moved to counter.

My chest ached as my lung laboured for air, and I knew I was running purely off adrenaline and not much else as I brought my blade up to block and then went to attack with a bizarre proficiency I shouldn't by any right have, given my limited experience and the fact that I've been using a sword for little over a year while these people have been fully qualified soldiers for the better parts of their lives.

And yet, somehow, I'm winning. I'm making short work of anyone who dares to be my opponent.

How is that even possible?

How is any of this actually happening to me?

Since when did reality itself become completely unbelievable?

Everything hurts.

Bodies are strewn around me, blood is dripping off the tip of my sword, fresh blood is splattered across my tunic and my skin, and everything hurts. My muscles ache. I'm exhausted. There's a sharp, stabbing pain in my gut – I think I opened up one of my old wounds from the attack on the barracks way back when. It wasn't even that long ago. It feels like a lifetime ago. I feel like I was a completely different person back then.

Who knows? Maybe I was.

A lot has happened since then.

I feel like I'm dying.

I'm drowning in a sea of blood from those I've slain.

The Hero of Legend is someone you look up to. He's someone you want to be, that you strive to have something in common with. They fail to mention that, truthfully, he's a killer. That he's always been a killer. That part of being courageous and saving the world from evil means killing. That being a warrior, being a soldier, being a hero…it means being a killer.

I'm not a killer.

I don't want to be a killer.

That's not who I wanted to be.

This isn't me.

I don't care if it's true to the Hero of Legend, and who and what he is.

It isn't _me._

And in the end, I'm the one doing this.

First and foremost, I'm me. Before I'm courageous or a hero or a soldier or a warrior, I'm me. That much I know. That much makes sense.

By the time the last guard fell to the ground, I was struggling to breathe properly. Zelda was long gone, but I knew she'd be around somewhere. She wouldn't have gone far. She's too invested in me to just leave.

I think.

I hope.

Suddenly faint murmurs, barely even audible over the wind, reached me. Gasping from the pain and clutching the old wounds that reopened and were now bleeding fresh blood, I staggered over to the source of the noise, resisting the urge to call out Zelda's name. I'll find her. She won't allow us to be split up for long.

Slowly, as I got closer, I managed to make out what was being said.

"N-no…please…I- I don't…please- _please!"_

The pleading quickly turned into a hoarse, desperate scream of absolute agony.

I made my way around a corner and practically fell against the wall, barely able to keep myself conscious. I was greeted with the sight of yet another watchtower guard, lying flat on his back and a knife impaling both of his hands and pinning him to the ground, writhing and struggling pointlessly as Zelda knelt on top of him, giggling like a small child as she dragged her knife across his face.

My sword slipped from my slackened hand and clattered to the ground as I lost the strength to keep a hold of it. My stomach churned and I just about threw up then and there. I can't even give this guy a mercy killing. I can barely even bring myself to move from this spot. All I can do is stay right here and watch on helplessly as Zelda reminded me just how far she's willing to go for no reason at all.

I lost my balance and fell against the wall, sliding uncontrollably down to the ground as Zelda's prisoner screamed again.

I can't help.

I can't save him.

I can't do anything.

I'm supposed to save people, I'm supposed to make everything better for everyone and everything is supposed to be okay. If I hadn't come here, if I'd managed to find some other way to get over the Wall, none of us would be in this situation. No one would be suffering right now. If I'd just…

No.

Ivan's right.

I do always have to find some way to blame myself for everything. I do put too much responsibility upon myself without thinking. I am always trying to control everything, and always convincing myself that it's my fault when anything at all goes wrong. I've been trying to save the world and everyone in it and feeling guilty every time I fail ever since I can remember.

And he's right – it _is_ kind of pathetic.

Be that as it may, I can't just stand by and do nothing.

"Zelda," I called her name tiredly, hoarsely. "Stop."

She barely even reacted to me.

_"Zelda."_

"Not now Link," she called to me in a bizarrely cordial tone. "I'm busy."

I gritted my teeth. "I'm not kidding around here. You need to stop. _Now."_

No reaction.

Fine. If she's going to ignore me, I'll talk about what she can't and won't ignore.

"I don't think your parents died so you could torture people as you pleased," I told her bluntly.

"You know nothing of my parents."

I had to give her that, but I was by no means finished in my effort to get her to stop by tearing her down emotionally. It's the only way I get can her to respond to anything. Nothing matters. Not until you bring up what happened to her parents ten years ago.

I don't want to bring it up.

I feel like a horrible person for doing so.

But she needs to be stopped.

And I'm the only one here who can do that.

"Maybe not. But they'd die all over again if they saw what you've become."

That was a low blow. Even for me. Ever for her.

She seemed to freeze completely, holding her knife dead still, halfway through making a deep cut across the guard's cheek. I bit my lip, instantly regretting my words. I shouldn't have brought up her parents. That was a bad idea. She's never going to forgive me for that. She's inches away from killing me, I know it. I can't even defend myself. She'll kill me, rip the Triforce of Courage from my possession, and use both it and the Triforce of Wisdom to wage further war against Hyrule and return to her quest for revenge.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she raised her blade viciously slashed her captive's throat before silently straightening and turning to face me, calmly putting her knife away before reaching out to me.

"Don't attempt to appeal to my morality, Link," she murmured as she offered me her outstretched hand. "Any trace of it, if it ever existed, is lost."

I smiled grimly and grasped her hand, staggering to my feet with her help. "Then why did you stop?"

She didn't look at me. "No one is innocent. They are guilty. They are _all_ guilty for standing by and letting it happen. For that, everyone needs to suffer. They must all feel the agony I felt. If I choose to spare anyone, it will be because I tire of them pleading for mercy, and no other reason."

Who is she trying to convince? Me, or herself?

I wobbled, coming dangerously close to falling over and resorting to grabbing Zelda in some desperate attempt to stay upright. I could feel the weary blackness pulling at the edges of my mind. I knew I was going to be able to fight it for much longer. I've torn open too many old wounds. I overexerted myself, even though I promised I wouldn't. I overestimated how much I'd actually healed.

I need a medic.

Zelda seemed to realise this.

"Link? No, no, don't. Don't do that. Don't fall asleep. Not now. Stay awake. Link? _Link?" _

She held me, called my name with increasing amounts of what sounded like genuine worry and concern for my welfare.

I smiled faintly. "Zelda? You're not- …you don't…if I didn't know any better…I'd say you were starting to actually care about me."

Her lip curled in disgust at my comment. "If you die on me soldier, I'll kill you."

"That's more like it."

Without another word, I slumped, closed my eyes, and let the darkness take me.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

_The right thing__…what is it? I wonder…if you do the right thing…does it really make…everybody…happy?_

It's quiet. An endless plain of bright, vibrant emerald green stretches out before me in every direction, and I can hear the sound of birds twittering. There are children playing, squealing with laughter as they chase each other around and around a huge tree that towers over everything. I'm standing motionless in the grass, panting, shaking, and generally freaking out because this is so unfamiliar. I have no idea what's going on but let's be honest here, I've been repeating the past few days over and over again for who knows how long anymore. This is the first time anything, any of this at all, has changed.

I don't know where I am.

This isn't where I thought I'd end up.

I don't know what I was expecting. Lately I've learned not to expect anything, the result will inevitably be something completely different. But this…this is something else entirely. This is so unlike everything I've been through since coming to this strange, crazy world that barely feels real half the time. It's such a violent mood swing it's easily the most jarring thing that's ever happened to me.

That's saying a _lot._

All of a sudden, without even meaning to, I take a slow, jerky step forward. I keep moving towards the tree, feeling myself relaxing and unable to do anything about it. There's some dark corner of my brain that is screaming at me to stop, to go back, but I barely register it. Even if there is some way to get back, there's nothing else I can do. Not now. I can't turn back. I need to save everyone from a horrific, fiery death. I need to stop this.

I'm the Hero of Time, after all.

Even if that never happened.

Even if I'm the only one who remembers it.

This is so much more eerie than it appears. It's so calm and quiet, it's unnerving. Nothing about this scene is strange. It's perfectly normal and that's exactly what's sending shivers up my spine. And yet, I keep moving up the slight incline, towards the tree that loomed overhead and the children that gave chase to each other beneath it, screaming with delight.

They're all wearing masks.

Why are they all wearing masks?

Sinister, cackling laughter echoed endlessly through my head.

_You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?_

"Is he alright?" a voice asked suddenly, cutting through the dream and bringing me back to reality.

I didn't move. I didn't try to open my eyes. I was so tired. My whole body felt like lead. I'd rather just keep sleeping than let anyone know that I'm awake.

Is it really as hot as I think it is, or am I just hallucinating?

I don't have a temperature, do I?

…where am I?

"He has passed through the worst of it," a deep, distinctly male voice that was completely unfamiliar to me replied patiently.

"Yes, but is he _alright?"_ the first voice which I was starting to realise that I didn't know either asked, impatience colouring their tone.

"Young man, I understand that you are anxious to see your friend well, but he was badly wounded and it will take some time for him to fully recover. He will wake in due time. Needlessly fretting over him is helping nobody."

"Very well. I'll wait outside. Tell me if he wakes."

There was a brief pause, before I heard footsteps heading away and the sound of a door close.

Then there was nothing but silence.

Silence that seemed to endure for much too long.

And I don't suppose I'm going to find out where I am by laying here pretending to be asleep.

I groaned and rolled over, although the effort of moving even that much made my head pound. A tall, dark skinned man who almost looked like he could've been Hylian turned as he noticed the disturbance in the silence.

As it happens, he wasn't actually Hylian.

His ears, I noted very quickly, were short and rounded, which I found bizarrely fascinating. It looked so strange and alien to me. I didn't realise ears could be like that. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. Other than that, however, there wasn't anything to suggest that he wasn't part of my own race. He certainly looked more like a Hylian than the general, Ganondorf, did. He smiled when he saw me.

"Ah. You're awake. Good."

I sat up, using far more effort to do so than I'd anticipated as he settled down in a chair that was next to the bed I was in. I don't know where I am. I don't know how I got here. I don't know who this guy is or who the other person was or where Zelda is. My head hurts and I can feel tight bandages across my chest. Most of my upper body, really. I must've been more badly wounded than I realised.

Which begs the question – how did I get here? Last I remember, I was at the Wall. This isn't the Wall.

"How are you feeling?" the man, who I assumed must be some kind of medic, asked me in a concerned tone.

I blinked several times. "Uh…"

My voice was quiet and raspy, and talking immediately launched me into a coughing fit. I leaned away from the man and coughed so hard I was worried I'd start spitting out blood and bits of lung, but it never happened. Every time I coughed it sent stabbing pains down my oesophagus. I tried to answer his question again but it only resulted in more of the same.

How am I feeling?

Truthfully?

Awful.

Worse than I've ever felt in my life.

But glad to be alive.

I never imagined simply being alive could bring me such happiness.

He didn't seem to mind my silence. Rather, he smiled and passed me some water, which I gulped down eagerly, to the point I nearly choked on it.

"You'll want to take it slowly," he told me. "Your friend was just as bad. I've no idea what you two were doing out in the wilderness with barely any supplies, or how you managed to get that badly injured, and given that you're a Hylian beyond the Wall, I don't expect you'll enlighten me. I only hope you've managed to learn a lesson in being fully prepared _before_ you leave on a journey."

I hung my head in shame like a teenager being scolded by their parents and sipped the water gingerly. I guess I fit two aspects of that criteria. He smiled a little, distinctly reminding me of a bemused parent trying to a failing to understand the antics of their child. It was odd to think someone was actually giving me that look, and I immediately wanted to revert to how I was when I was fifteen and bite a string of curses at him for daring to patronise me.

I shouldn't be like that. I don't even know this guy. But he reminded me too much of Cirillo.

Was that really only two years ago?

Then again, if my life can be completely uprooted in the space of a few days, I guess I can also somehow have a significant personality shift in two years as well.

It seems like a lifetime ago.

A completely different world, a different era.

I wasn't even in the army back then.

"Where…" I managed in a hoarse, raspy voice, "where am I?"

He seemed to be all the more amused by my question. "Hm. I don't suppose you were entirely conscious for most of your journey from the Wall. You're in the city of Kakariko."

"…Kakariko?" I repeated blandly.

"That's right," he assured me gently.

"Where's Zelda?"

His eyes widened just a little at that, but otherwise he didn't react. "Zelda?" he repeatedly dully.

"She- I…the girl. The girl I was with."

"I don't recall there being a girl."

…what?

_What?_

No. No, she has to be here. She has to be. If she's not here…how did I get here without her? Where is she? I can't have lost her. Not now.

I straightened and started to drag myself out of bed. "I have to find her."

The man immediately stood up, leaned over and pulled me back onto the bed.

"You are in no condition to be up and walking around just yet. You are incredibly lucky to have survived your ordeal at all."

Lucky.

I'm the Hero of Legend.

Luck has _nothing_ to do with it.

Where's Zelda?

Where is she?

I have to find her.

I _need_ to find her.

Where could she have gone?

She wouldn't have left. She wouldn't. Something else has to be at work here.

"Your friend should know that you're awake. Wait here," he told me, getting up and exiting the room.

I sat there, unmoving, completely at a loss. I understood why he didn't want me moving too much. All it took beforehand to reopen every single one of my wounds was a little bit of strenuous physical exercise, no one wants to repeat that. What I _don't_ understand is why Zelda isn't here. She should be here. She wouldn't leave. She's too intent on getting my piece of the Triforce to have just left without any word like that. The other thing I don't understand is who 'my friend' is supposed to be if it's not Zelda. I wasn't with anyone else.

How did I manage to convince myself that things were ever going to start making any kind of sense?

Unless Zelda somehow managed to steal the Triforce of Courage from me while I was out and abandoned me in the middle of a field somewhere and I was found by someone and brought here.

My gaze immediately shifted to the back of my left hand.

Is it still there?

How do I know if it's still there?

Glow.

Come on.

You know you want to.

Assure me that I haven't had some intrinsic part of my existence stolen by the princess and rightful heir to the throne of Hyrule.

_Please?_

"There isn't any point staring at it and wishing, soldier. It's not going to activate just because you want it to."

Soldier?

My head snapped up in surprise. The figure who had suddenly appeared leaning against the doorframe with folded arms gave me a mildly exasperated look before walking over to the bed and pulling down the scarf that obscured half of her face. Somehow she'd made her eyes change from their normal pale blue to a deep, blood red. I don't know how that's possible. Magic, I guess.

I wasn't aware real magic was still a thing people used.

My eyes narrowed immediately.

"That's…quite the change of outfit," I noted, taking in the blue, form fitting, lightly armoured bodysuit detailed with the Sheikah eye that she had donned since I blacked out and the way she had worked to flatten her chest. "You really worried me, Zelda."

She seemed unconcerned with my worry over her welfare and simply clicked her tongue at me, waggling a finger.

"No, no, no. What did I tell you? Zelda is dead. She died ten years ago in the revolt. Remember?"

I watched her warily. "What are you- …is your voice deeper on purpose? Zelda?"

"How many times do I have to remind you that she's dead?"

"What do you _want_ me to call you? Celida?"

"Who's that?"

Okay.

I'm officially lost now.

Do I want to know what the hell she's trying to pull here?

What even is this? Another brief episode of complete and utter insanity?

"Zelda, I've just woken up and I've been told that I'm lucky to be alive. I don't have the headspace or the stamina needed to deal with another one of your psychotic episodes."

"Listen to me," she hissed in my ear. "I'm not doing this for fun. It's dangerous for Hylians outside the Wall, Hylian _women_ especially. I don't fancy getting raped and murdered, so for now I'm Sheik. Understood?"

"Sheik," I repeated blandly.

"That's right," she told me in a surprisingly cheerful tone. "He's one of the greatest fighters of the Sheikah tribe, and something of a vigilante around these parts."

"You've disguised yourself as a male Sheikah. Called Sheik."

At least that explained the change of eye colour and the new clothes. Kind of.

"Yes."

"Creative," I remarked dryly. "And if it's so dangerous for Hylians out here…what about me?"

"What _about _you? You're the Hero of Legend. You should be able to take care of yourself."

"And you're a lethal fighter who wields the Triforce of Wisdom. You're more than capable of taking out anyone who tries to touch you. Why are you hiding?"

Not to mention, she'll probably torture anyone she catches trying to take advantage of her to the point they'll wish they'd never been born.

A shiver went up my spine as I thought about what she did to the guards back at the Wall.

Why do I get the feeling all that was just practice for the day she gets her hands on the man who murdered her parents? She says she's solely after Ganondorf and that Agahnim is of no concern to her, but I can't imagine she'll treat him with the utmost respect in light of the fact that he usurped her father's throne. Nevermind the rest of it. Just that much is enough to terrify me.

I can't let her get the rest of the Triforce.

I can't let _Ganondorf_ get the rest of the Triforce, either.

Something tells me that's a really, _really,_ supremely bad idea.

I don't know why I think that, or what's causing me to think that way.

Past experiences, probably.

A shiver went up my spine at the thought. I can't even think about this right now.

"Don't want to risk it."

"Sure."

It was only now I realised how much I was sweating. I threw the covers off my legs and slowly got to my feet, swaying as I did so before I managed to grip the bedpost to steady myself. I turned back to Zelda.

"Let's go outside," I practically begged her. "Please. It's stifling in here."

Zelda gave me an odd look. "It's no cooler outside."

"What do you mean?"

She smiled crookedly. "I mean, it's always this hot here. On account of Kakariko being located at the base of Death Mountain."

_Death_ Mountain?

That doesn't sound good.

"Death Mountain?"

"It's an active volcano."

What.

I blinked several times. "You're kidding me."

"Nope."

_"Why_ would _anyone_ build a city this close to something that can kill them all in the blink of an eye?"

"Because these areas are amazingly fertile. Given that every other scrap of possible farmland is on the other side of the Hyrule Wall, there wasn't a lot of choice."

I glanced at the window I hadn't thought to glance out before. "Looks kind of desolate out there to me."

"That'll be because of the mine."

"The mine."

"Yes."

"The mine, inside the active volcano called Death Mountain, next to the bustling city."

She shrugged, obviously hearing the sheer disbelief in my tone. "Don't ask me about it, I don't know what they mine down there. Gorons are weird."

"Gor- _what?"_

She rolled her eyes dramatically and grabbed my wrist before leading me outside. "Come see for yourself, I can't explain everything to you."

She suddenly stopped at the door and let go of me, staring idly into space for what seemed like far too long. I remained motionless, a little dizzy from moving around so much so quickly. It was then I realised that I didn't know how long it had been since I'd eaten. It had been far too long since I'd had an actual meal. I guess that's what happens when you escape a city all in a rush out of fear of being executed.

If I ever go back, if I'm ever caught back in the capital, or Hyrule at all, I'll be killed.

That hurt to think about.

What seemed like an eternity seemed to pass, and we both stood there, completely motionless. I leaned heavily against the wall, waiting for Zelda go on ahead of me. I certainly had no idea where I was supposed to be going. I was about to ask what was wrong when she abruptly turned to me.

"Are you going to be alright walking around so soon?"

I stared at her, taken aback. What happened to her? Why is she suddenly so concerned over my health? She watched me right back, making no attempt to further explain herself. Rather than perpetuate it any longer, I moved forward, kept my head down and pushed the door open, heading outside without a word. Zelda immediately followed, worried concern colouring her expression.

The city that greeted me was nothing like the capital. There were no immaculate cobblestone streets, no tall buildings adorned with stone angels or depictions of the gods or anything. There were no soldiers in gleaming armour patrolling the streets in a careful and uniform step. Instead the streets were mostly dust, ramshackle buildings in a serious state of disrepair surrounded us, and everyone around seemed to be moving as quickly as possible, if they were moving at all. It take a genius to recognise that we weren't in a particularly wealthy part of town. I stood there, rooted the spot, in a little bit of shock.

This…brings back so many memories. Memories I'd forced myself to forget, of a completely different existence.

I guess now I've come full circle.

Zelda halted next to me, watching me closely.

"I suppose seeing a slum for the first time must be jarring," she murmured, placing her hand gently on my shoulder. "We can go back inside if you want."

It took me a moment to register that she had been talking to me. I pulled away and started making my way down the street, not bothering to check if Zelda was with me. She was. It went without saying. Neither of us have strayed too far from the other, not since leaving the capital. We're both far too wary of each other to go our own separate ways.

"Will you stop _fretting_ over me? I'm fine. Honestly, I don't know what's gotten into you."

She looked away. "You don't realise how close to death you were when you collapsed at the Wall. If I hadn't stolen those horses, I wouldn't have gotten you here in time."

_"You stole horses?"_

"You would have died otherwise. In any case, their previous owners were already dead."

"Of course they were," I grunted, trying to ignore the stabbing pain that was threatening to engulf me completely. It was probably a sign that I shouldn't be out here.

Why, why, _why_ is it so damn _hot_ here?

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I believe you. I have no doubt that you would remember to kill someone before you stole from them."

She smiled a little, which immediately confirmed my hypothesis. I'm not even surprised at her. After all, it's not like it's completely out of character for her. What I do find surprising is just how little I really care about what she's done.

"I'm surprised you seem to hate the idea of stealing so much."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? It's against the law. I'm supposed to uphold the law. It's not surprising at all."

"Well if that's your calling, soldier, you've done terribly," she said bluntly, before changing the subject completely. "How long were you on the streets, exactly?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. "I never lived on the streets."

"Liar."

She's right you know. You're as much of a liar as you are a killer.

I'm not a killer.

_…liar._


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Kakariko was nothing like the capital, and that became more and more apparent the longer I wandered aimlessly around the run down city, taking in the new landscape and the people who inhabited it. Everyone here seemed to be armed, and was more than happy to display that fact. There weren't any soldiers or a kind of military to speak of – which I suppose was why everyone was armed. Everyone seemed to have a permanent dark glower. I found myself keeping as much to the side as I possibly could, keeping my head down and trying not to stand out. Or have my presence noticed at all. It wasn't working, and I knew it. Everywhere I went, I could feel myself being watched.

Never before have I wanted to hide myself under a heavy hooded cloak so badly.

Even if that plan would never have worked because in this kind of heat, a heavy cloak wouldn't work on so many levels.

"Everyone is staring at me," I murmured to Zelda, my voice barely audible as I pulled my hair over my ears in some sad attempt to appear oh so slightly less obviously Hylian.

Yeah. Not happening.

"You're Hylian," she answered bluntly, "and there hasn't been one of those around in these parts for centuries. Not to mention, you're wearing a uniform belonging to the Hylian Army."

Somehow I can't imagine a Hylian girl pretending to be a Sheikah boy is any less of an oddity.

"How do they even know it's a Hylian uniform?"

"Perhaps it's the Hylian Crest plastered across your chest."

She had a point, I thought vaguely as I looked down at my uniform. It was probably a bad idea to go outside while wearing this. My hand hovered over the grip of my sword, ready to draw at any second because a disproportionate amount of people are staring at me like they'd love nothing more than to run me through. I suppose Hylians really aren't very popular outside the Wall.

Given the fact that the civil wars happened and the Wall has cut these people off from the land needed to grow the needed amount of food for a few hundred years, I don't know why I'm at all surprised by this.

There are no words for how much I miss being inconspicuous.

"This was a bad idea," I murmured as I shied away from someone who was glaring at me for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Yes, it was," Zelda agreed dully. "It seems your ideas are usually bad."

"Wha- _you_ wanted me to go for a walk."

"I was humouring you when you said you wanted to go outside."

What is this? She never humours me. The fact that she's admitting to doing that now is more unnerving than when she was pulling knives on me for no real reason. Just when I think I'm starting to get to know and she's beginning to make sense – or at least I'm starting to see a pattern in her erratic behaviour – she pulls this kind of thing on me. No wonder I'm so lost. My main source of information isn't really what could or even would call a stable human being.

"I'm going back," I muttered, stopping where I was and turning around.

Zelda smiled crookedly. "Do you even know the way back?"

"I'm wounded. Cut me some slack."

"You say that as if you think I am going to show you the way."

"Well, you're either going help me back, or follow me around pointlessly until we're both lost, or you're going to abandon me here and run the risk of me dying in the middle of a street," I pointed out. "It's up to you."

She folded her arms and watched me warily. "You sound rather blasé about the prospect of dying in the street."

I couldn't help but smile. "I'll reincarnate eventually. You told me that yourself. Besides, you're not going to let that happen."

"Oh?"

"It's not in your best interest for me to die," I told her bluntly.

Slowly, she nodded. "That is true. Let's go, then."

Without another word, she grabbed my wrist and half led, half pulled me back down the street. She was moving faster than I could quite manage, and though she knew this, she didn't slow. She was suddenly very anxious for some reason, and I wasn't sure why. Rather than ask, I did my best to keep up with her, ignoring her as she threw me dirty looks when I stumbled.

When we finally did reach our destination, she ushered me inside as quickly and as discreetly as she could manage, and then pulled me into the small bedroom I'd woken up in. The instant we were inside, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it, not moving for a good while as I sat back down on the bed, only now realising just how exhausted the little jaunt had made me. After what seemed like an eternity, Zelda's eyes snapped open and she looked me up and down critically.

"You need a wash," she said bluntly. "And new clothes."

I looked down at my ripped, bloodstained army tunic. "You can't fix them?"

She shook her head. "What do I look like to you, a seamstress? Besides, even I could, even if they weren't already utterly beyond repair, I wouldn't. You can't walk around outside the Wall in that. It's bad enough that you're Hylian."

"Where am I going to get new clothes?"

"I'm sure there's something to spare somewhere in this dilapidated establishment," she muttered, immediately moving to the cupboard and tearing through it and its contents in search of something that would fit me. "If not, we can always ask."

A silence fell between us as she ransacked the room, getting irritated when she found nothing worthwhile to her. I sat on the bed, watching her impassively as she kicked away some of the mess she made, stood up and brushed some dust off her shoulder. She stood perfectly still for a moment, before shaking her head slightly and turned back to face me.

"So," she stated dully, making a point of looking around before continuing. "What do we do now?"

My eyebrows rose a little at her question. "Now?"

"Because I was thinking that after you've fully recovered we can head to the lake and cut off Hyrule's water supply-"

"Whoa, hey. Back up. _What?"_

"Were you not listening?"

"Yeah, I was listening," I snarled. "I'm not joining you on your quest to terrorise my country."

She folded her arms. "You agreed to flee Hyrule with me."

"Because I had to out of fear of being executed. I'm not a terrorist. The plan was get outside the Wall and find a new life for myself somehow. That's it."

"Oh, so you'd rather watch Ganondorf take over Hyrule and bring it to ruin?"

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, _Sheik,_ but he already _has _taken over and Hyrule has already fallen to ruin."

"A situation which will only get _worse_ if we don't stop him."

I rolled my eyes. "And how exactly do you plan to stop him? With the _Triforce?_ He already has a piece of it, and you've told me yourself that he wants the rest. We go anywhere near him and all we're doing is giving him what he wants. How can you not see that?"

She folded her arms and turned away. "So what do you propose we do? Sit here and ignore the plight of our country? Of the _world? _Allow the Gerudo scourge to ruin everything?"

"Yes. That's _exactly _what I propose we do. Unless you have a better idea – in which case I'd _love_ to hear it."

"You know my plans."

"They're terrible plans."

She threw her arms up into the air and almost immediately began pacing around the room, massaging her forehead furiously and letting out a long, drawn out sigh.

"I had thought," she began in a voice that quaked with anger, "I had foolishly assumed that the Hero of Legend of my time would be as he's supposed to – a brave, courageous warrior willing to do whatever is necessary to vanquish evil. I thought you would come to embody those traits."

"I guess we're all disappointed in that regard."

Her lip curled at my comment. I couldn't tell if she was actually angry or just upset. I mean, she did look like she was inches away from stabbing something, but part of her expression also gave the impression that she was also inches away from bursting into tears.

Something I'd never seen her do before, I realised with a jolt. And I'll probably live to regret it if I ever happened to make the princess of Hyrule cry.

But come _on._ Her plan is suicide. I don't see how it can in any way not be interpreted as an unnecessarily flashy way of committing suicide. I agreed to get out of Hyrule. I never wanted to get myself killed in order to save it. Especially not when it runs the risk of causing everything to hurtle hopelessly into oblivion.

"What if I _do_ fix it?" I demanded angrily. "What if, by some miracle, I manage to solve every single thing wrong with the world? What happens then? A few years of peace before the world ultimately gets thrown into chaos again. There is no _point, _Zelda. Nothing _ever _changes."

She shook her head sadly at my rant, clicking her tongue. "You used to be so wonderful, Link. You used to be everything a person aspired to be. Now look at you. You've been ruined by your cynicism. You've lost any right to be called Hero."

I stood there, gaping wordlessly at her. That stung a whole lot more than I'd anticipated. A whole lot more than anything else anyone has ever said to me.

_Why?_

What do I care?

I didn't ask for this.

I _never_ asked for any of this.

Heroics and adventure are all well and good when you're a kid and you've got an overactive imagination and don't know any better. They're harmless when you're seven years old and running around in green clothes, swinging a stick like a sword and acting out stories and legends and defeating imaginary monsters. It's not until later when you're older and you have a real sword in your hand and you're surrounded by bloody corpses do you realise that it's not at all like you imagined. That nothing is black and white but an endless blur of different shades of grey. That the imaginary monsters you've defeated aren't imaginary. That really, they're not even monsters.

There's nothing wrong with not wanting to a part of that anymore.

"Funny, about that. It's almost like I never _wanted_ that in the first place."

She let out a shout of bitter laughter. "Oh, and you think it's different for everyone else? I'll let you in on a little known secret Link – _no one _wants what they get in life. No one _asks_ for their destiny. No one gets a choice in what their role in the grand scheme of things will be. People don't ask to be commoners or nobility or men or women any more than you have – they just _are._ No one gets a choice in those things. Don't whine as though you've been robbed of that. You haven't. You've as much freedom to choose your fate as anyone. _None."_

I didn't say anything in reply to that. I had nothing to say. She ploughed on.

"Now I don't know about you – frankly I don't even _care_ – but I will not so easily give up. If it is my destiny to unite the Triforce, then so be it. I will do whatever it takes."

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, exhaling sharply. "The Triforce isn't the answer, Zelda. It just isn't. There has to be another way."

"There _is _no other way!" she practically screamed at me. "It's the only answer! With it, we could obliterate Ganondorf completely. We wouldn't even have to worry about whether or not he has some foul trick up his sleeve. We could make it so the revolt never happened. So the civil wars never happened, and the Hyrule Wall never built. We could fix every problem in the world with a wish."

"Then allow me to point out the fundamental flaw in your plan," I murmured. "You need an assembled Triforce to defeat Ganondorf. You need the Triforce of Power in order to do that. To get it, you need to defeat him, which you plan to do with the Triforce…see what I'm getting at here?"

She remained almost completely still. "He doesn't need to be dead. Simply incapacitated."

"And _how_ to you plan to _incapacitate_ him in the first place? With that fully assembled Triforce you don't have?"

"It is the only way to defeat him."

I sighed loudly. "I hate to bring this up again since you threw a fit the last time I did but – have you _tried_ the _Master Sword?"_

She whirled around to face me, her eyes wide and flashing dangerously before letting out a shout of laughter.

"Oh, _please,"_ she spat. "The Blade of Evil's Bane? You cannot _possibly_ be serious."

I sat there, saying nothing, eyebrow arched a little, silently questioning. She started to pace again, getting increasingly agitated.

"The ancient sword said to be imbued with a holy light that cleave through any darkness, destroy any evil; that can only be wielded by the Hero of Legend – I thought you said you didn't want to do this anymore? What use to me is a sword I can't use?"

I fell back on the bed, collapsing onto the covers and groaning a little. I'm going to regret saying this. I'm going to hate myself for this.

That's not changing much. I already hate myself.

"I said I didn't want to be a part of your plan to destroy Hyrule."

She smiled grimly. "But you would pick up the Master Sword and wage war against the most powerful man alive? Lay siege to Hyrule Castle? And risk destroying Hyrule yourself by doing so?'

"If that's what it takes to get you to drop the idea of the Triforce, then _yes."_

Her smile quickly widened into a grin. "Just when I was about to lose all faith in you, you manage to surprise me."

"I'm pleased."

"You don't sound pleased."

"I'm being sarcastic."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit," she sang at me in an irritatingly nasal tone.

My eyes narrowed at that. "Then I suppose it's a _very_ good thing that I'm not the one with the Triforce of Wisdom. I don't have to be witty."

She thoroughly ignored me. "In any case, whether you're willing or not, it doesn't solve our problem."

"What problem?"

"I don't know where it is," she admitted dully. "No one knows where it is."

"Have you tried looking?"

That only seemed to succeed in riling her up.

"Of course I've looked!"

"Have you tried looking _harder?"_

She let out an almost inhuman sounding howl of frustration.

"Don't you understand?" she had to stop herself yelling. "I've _already_ looked. I've searched far and wide for it, for the majority of the past decade. Why do you think it took me so long to return to the capital? There is a _reason_ I say the Triforce is our only option, Link. It's gone."

I didn't move. "What?"

"It's gone. There isn't any sign of it anywhere in Hyrule," she told me in a quivering voice. "The Master Sword is _gone."_


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Zelda didn't hang around much after that. She came and went, running her own errands and usually only stopping by to check if I was still alive and in the same place as before. I don't know what she was trying to do. I don't really want to know. Part of me worried that she would start destroying Kakariko like she did the capital, but the bombs never came. I spent most of my days either in bed, too exhausted to really move, or pacing endlessly around the room, unable to think about anything but the weight, impossibility and sheer lunacy of the situation I found myself in.

If I were anyone else, _anyone at all,_ I could just stay here. No one would judge me for leaving Hyrule to crumble on its own. I could stay here until I recovered fully and then go about finding myself a new life. No one gets conscripted here. There isn't a military to get forced into serving in the first place. I could be anything I wanted, do all the things I wanted to do when I was a child. Even though, the only thing I really wanted to be when I was child was the Hero of Legend and go on adventures and rescue princesses and save the world from evil and oblivion. Life seems to have a funny way of throwing these things back at you and kicking you viciously once you're down.

I don't know what to do anymore.

I say that like I ever had even the smallest inkling of direction.

I don't care what Zelda says. The Triforce is out of the question.

Although it seems the Master Sword is also out of the question, unless by some sheer miracle I manage to locate it in maybe a couple of weeks at the most when Zelda had searched for it almost ceaselessly for a decade and never found any trace. I really shouldn't expect myself to be able to do any better.

There really is nothing for it. I should just let Hyrule fall. Live my life and die as the worst and most ineffectual incarnation of the Hero of Legend in all of known history. Reincarnate into someone who has to go on a long and arduous redemption quest because of me.

I winced at that thought. Don't put me through this again. Haven't I suffered enough already? How much longer is this going to _go_ for?

Forever?

Hasn't it already been going forever?

"Young man, how can you expect to recover if you do not allow yourself to rest?" the now completely familiar deep, soothing voice of the medic called.

My head snapped up and I whipped around to find him taking up most of the doorway, watching me with an expression of grave concern. I don't know why he's concerned. I'm not his problem. I'm not anyone's problem but my own, and maybe Zelda's. Why he's become so invested in my fate he feels the need to almost constantly badger me about resting and do whatever is best for my health is beyond me. I appreciate the gesture, I really do, but I'm really nothing he should be worrying about.

"I'm alright," I insisted quietly. "I'm…a quick healer."

"So I've noticed," he told me patiently. "To be as resilient as you have from wounds that should have killed you is quite the feat indeed. I expect you'll be leaving soon?"

I nodded a little jerkily and looked away. "That was the plan."

"I thought as much. Where do you plan to go? Will you return to your homeland?"

I stared obstinately at the ground, never bringing myself to look at him. "I- …can't. I can't."

Why am I telling him this? Why am I telling him any of this? It's none of his concern. I'll be out of his hair soon enough and he'll never have to see me again. I don't need to tell him anything. I owe him nothing.

Except, perhaps, my life.

And maybe I'm telling him this because I haven't been able to talk about it to anyone aside from Zelda, who isn't the most compassionate person to walk the earth. Maybe he's the first moderately sane person around since I fled the capital.

He nodded slowly. "Ah. I see."

He thinks I'm a criminal. It's so obvious in his tone. Only criminals flee their home without ever returning. Only they would ever have a reason to do such a thing. If I was a refugee there would have been others. Obviously I must be running from the law. I _am_ running from the law. I have no right to say that I'm not a criminal. Even if my record was spotlessly clean before getting conscripted, I'm a deserter. I killed the Castle Guard sent after me. I killed all those people at the Wall. I let Zelda go on ahead and go about her grisly torture.

"I'm not a criminal," I insisted. "I just…can't go back."

Or I'll be executed.

Like a thief, a deserter, and a killer. Like someone who doesn't deserve to be saved.

I'm better than this. I'm _supposed _to be better than this. Zelda is supposed to be better than she is. Hyrule is supposed to better than it is. Everything isn't supposed to be this way. Something horrific happened and it screwed us all up. It ruined everything and now nothing is the way it's supposed to be.

He didn't seem at all perturbed by any of this, which surprised me. He probably knows. He's probably seen it before, dealt with people like me before. The fact that he's a medic in the slums of a city full of problems that is willing to show compassion to a race of people that all but destroyed his own probably points towards the fact that he's seen people driven to desperate extremes and the kind of consequences that has before. I shouldn't be so surprised that he isn't.

"If that is the case, and you truly cannot return home, where will you go?"

I kept my head down. I don't know where to go. I don't know what to do. I thought I was lost before, it's nothing compared to how I feel now. I want to go home. I want everything to just go back to the way it was and for life to be straight forward and uncomplicated and exceedingly dull.

"Somewhere far away," I murmured finally. "Somewhere safe."

"Safe from what? Are you being pursued?"

I shook my head a little jerkily. "I- …no. I don't think so."

"But you don't want to be found."

"That would be less than ideal, yeah."

He nodded, looking pensive for a moment as he looked me up and down, taking in my exceedingly thin, wiry frame. I shifted uncomfortably, suddenly hyper aware of the fact that I'd lost a considerable amount of weight in the past few weeks.

"In that case," he muttered, "I have something for you. Wait here."

I remained almost completely motionless as he disappeared down the hallway. I didn't know what else to do. Part of me was terrified he planned to throw me out or something similar.

It was then he reappeared, holding a bundle of green that he immediately handed to me. I took it silently, my eyes narrowing as I realised that he had handed me an entirely new outfit, made of a thick, sturdy canvas that had been carefully dyed a soft, familiar green. I stared at the tunic in my hands, fighting a small smile. This is the kind of thing the Hero of Legend is supposed to have worn. The kind of thing people say he wore, anyway.

Then it'll suit you just _fine,_ won't it, Link?

Goddess knows I need new clothes anyway.

"It is customary in these parts for travellers to don the colour of the Goddess of Courage," he explained quietly, seeing my slightly bemused expression. "It gives them the ability to face their fears, and overcome any danger they may encounter on the road."

I looked up from the bundle in my hands, surprised to hear him mention a deity from paganism. Are they all pagans out here? How does wearing some green clothes suddenly make you invincible?

This is stupid. It's idiotic and it's nonsensical.

We can't _all_ be the Hero of Legend.

"You believe in all that, then?" I asked quietly and without looking up, still shifting through the material in my hands. "The Triforce and the Golden Goddesses and the Hero of Legend?"

"It is not a question of belief, young man. It is history."

History.

History is long and complicated and no one ever seems to remember it when they should. People are always doomed to make the same mistakes, and they're doomed to suffer for their mistakes for the rest of eternity. No one ever learns. Nothing ever changes. Everything will continue as it has always done, for as long as Hyrule has been a nation, and nothing will change, nothing will ever be different.

_You've been ruined by your cynicism. You've lost any right to be called Hero._

Stop.

_I will not so easily give up. If it is my destiny to unite the Triforce, then so be it. I will do whatever it takes._

Stop it.

_You _abandoned_ us, Link! You disappeared for seven years and you abandoned us! You abandoned _me!

Shut up.

Please, please just stop. I can't take this anymore.

I smiled weakly at him, trying to gain some semblance of a grip on reality. "Thank you."

He returned my smile with great gusto. I got the distinct feeling that he was just happy to see an expression on my face that wasn't one of utter confusion and worry. It immediately made me feel bad, but I tried not to dwell on it. He's so much like Cirillo, it's doing my head in. So much about everything has changed, but I feel like I'm back in the same situation I was in two years ago. The only difference is now I'm older, and there's so much more at stake. Everything is on the edge, teetering towards oblivion with nothing to hold it back. It seemed like everything was on the line last time, too. But the world was a lot smaller for me then, and I had no reason to feel obligated to fix anything that didn't directly concern me.

"You seemed to be in dire need of some new clothes," he told me lightly, causing me to snap out of my thoughts. "And in any case, it would not be wise to wander outside the Wall in an army tunic."

I looked down and smiled faintly. "Yeah, people keep telling me that."

"You would do well to listen to them," he said cheerfully, turning to go, only to pause. "Oh and Link, should you need anything else, do not hesitate to ask."

I blinked a couple of times in surprise. It was the first time he'd referred to me by name. I hadn't realised he even knew my name. Although, if I end up doing everything Zelda wants me to, soon enough everyone will know my name.

"Do you have a whetstone?" I blurted out without thinking.

He turned back to face me, eyebrows raised incredulously.

"I-I just…" I stammered pathetically. "Should probably…uh, sharpen my sword."

He nodded slowly, glancing at my sheathed sword, which was leaning against the wall in the corner and then back to me. "I'm afraid I don't. However, you could probably purchase one from the weapons dealer up the road, if you really need one."

I nodded, before realising that I didn't actually have any money – most of it had been in the barracks when it was attacked, and what little hadn't been I'd given to Zelda the night before. Back when Zelda was Celida, and life was a lot simpler, even if a bit confusing and hard to understand because I was so ignorant of everything important.

"I must say, I did not expect to ever meet a Hylian who was so close to the Sheikah tribe. Especially since you're not of the Royal Family."

My head snapped up. "What?"

"Your sword is of Sheikah make, is it not?"

"I- uh, yeah. It was given to me."

"By Sheik?"

I shook my head when I remembered that he was referring to Zelda when he said Sheik.

Disguises are so confusing.

"No. By Impa."

He nodded pleasantly. "Is that so? So she _is_ still alive. That's good to know."

My eyes widened. "You know her?"

"Know her? My dear boy; that would be saying far too much. No one really ever _knew_ her. I spoke to her a few times, treated her for some of the more grievous wounds she sustained that she couldn't fix herself, and I saved the life of her young ward so many times I lost track, but that was as close as we ever got."

"Her ward?"

"A young Hylian. Poor girl seemed traumatised beyond reckoning – I don't think she spoke a word for the entire five years they lived here. I daren't think of what happened to make her that way."

Something tells me it was something along to lines of watching her parents get tortured to death, and escaping Hyrule Castle with her life only because someone mistook some other little girl for her. Just a hunch.

"But enough of that. It does not bode well to dwell on the darkness of the past. I'll leave you for now. I would suggest you get some rest but I don't believe you'll take the advice."

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you. For everything."

He dipped his head at me briefly before exiting the room, closing the door shut behind him. I stood there for a short while, before falling back on the bed, exhausted all of a sudden. I'd better get changed, get my stuff together, find Zelda, and work out what on earth we're supposed to do now, with the world getting steadily worse as the days drag on.

So…what? Do I join Zelda on her plan to sabotage Hyrule's water supply? Do I attack my own nation in some desperate effort to save it? To draw Ganondorf out and defeat him somehow? Risk giving him the Triforce in my own effort to claim it for myself? Is that what I'm supposed to do now? Become like her? Become a terrorist?

I'm not a terrorist.

I'm not a killer.

I'm not like her.

I won't let myself be anything like her.

I don't want the Triforce. I don't want anything to do with it. I hate the way everything revolves around it. I hate the way _my_ life and _my_ existence seems revolve around it. I'm tired. I'm so tired, so exhausted, in every way I can be. I just want it to be over. I don't want to do this again. I can't do this anymore.

Don't make me do this anymore.

I'm falling, falling hopelessly towards total oblivion and there isn't a single thing I can do to save myself.

_An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time._


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Zelda smirked the second she walked into the room and saw me, now wearing my new clothes and looking more like the Hero of Legend than I had ever planned.

"Well now. Don't you look the part? I especially love the hat."

My hand immediately flew up to the cap I'd tried and failed to pull down over my ears and so maybe attract slightly less attention next time I went outside. Needless to say, it hadn't worked. If anything, it made my being Hylian all the more painfully obvious. Zelda, if anything, seemed amused by my problem. It's all well and good for her, she's disguised as a Sheikah and so doesn't even have to bother hiding her ears.

I wish I could just wear some Sheikah clothes and turn my eyes red and magically fool everyone into thinking I'm of a completely different race.

"Thanks. Now I _really _feel like an idiot."

"I fail to see why."

"I look like the Hero of Legend."

"You _are_ the Hero of Legend. You only look like yourself."

"This is only going to attract more attention."

"More or less attention than a half destroyed army uniform? You are in no position to turn down new clothes."

That was a point. And I hated her for bringing it up. I just…don't want people to stare at me. It seems no matter what I do I'm going to attract attention, and I hate that. I hate that so much more than I feel I should.

Neither of us said anything more for a disproportionately long time. And then;

"That colour really does suit you."

I whipped around to see Zelda appraising me with her arms folded, nodding slightly with approval.

"Okay. Now you're starting to creep me out."

She paid no attention to me whatsoever, rather changed the subject of the conversation completely. "Shall we go? It wouldn't be right to infringe on another's hospitality any longer than we already have."

Wouldn't be right.

How does she know what would and wouldn't be right? She's not the most morally grounded person I know. Far from it. I know people in the military she despises so much who serve the man she's fighting against and insists is evil that manage to be better people than she is.

I picked up my sword and gestured for her to go on ahead of me. "Ladies first."

She shot me a deadly look.

"Ladies disguised as young Sheikah men first," I amended.

Her expression did not change, but she walked out of the room, me close behind. Maybe I should've said goodbye to the medic. He already knew that I was leaving but…I don't know. He was nice to me. He was the first person to be in any way nice to me since everything happened. I forgot how much it matters to me to be treated to kindness and respect. Goddess knows it doesn't happen to me very much anymore.

Still.

As much as I hate to admit it, part of me is sort of glad to not have to be around him anymore. He reminded me of Cirillo too much. Reminded me of the person I used to be and the life I used to have too much.

Zelda seemed to know exactly where she was going, and I followed silently behind, not bothering to take in the wondrous sights like last time I went outside for any prolonged amount of time. Kakariko wasn't for tourists, that much was easy to assume. There was very little here that made one feel welcome. As I thought, it got considerably nicer the further in I went, but the people still glowered at me and my hand still continued to inch closer and closer to my sword, ready to draw at a moment's notice. I can't relax here. I don't know if it's the people or the heat or the fact that there's an active volcano looming over the entire city. I can't relax. I'm always on edge. I'm terrified something horrible is going to happen. I keep expecting another bomb, more fire and death and blood and mindless destruction.

And it never comes.

And rather than put me at ease, the lack of outright chaos here is making me tense. The longer this calm goes on, the worse the eventual catastrophe is going to be. And the jumpier and twitchier I get, reacting more and more violently to the smallest thing.

And it's only now I start thinking that maybe what happened in the capital had an effect on me.

We reached a marketplace, which seemed normal and happy and busy enough. I hung back, allowing Zelda to go on ahead, casually browsing almost everything on offer, appearing happy and carefree for the first time since I met her.

Why does that seem so long ago? Why does that seem like something so far away and completely alien to me?

I looked down at my gloved left hand anxiously. I don't know what I was expecting. Even if it was glowing, it wouldn't have shown through the leather. That's why I'd put the gloves on in the first place, after cutting the fingers off at the knuckles because I needed my fingers free. It worked well enough. It served the intended purpose. But half the time I find myself staring at my hand and I'm not sure if it's even still there.

A larger man bumped into me, causing me to stagger, grabbing his sleeve for support before I could hit the ground. The man barely paid me any mind, other than the dark glower he gave me. I mumbled a brief apology before jogging to catch up with Zelda, was flitting in and around the stalls of the market, taking her time to look at each and every thing. For a brief moment, I just watched her, happy to see her be reasonably calm and normal for once. For the first time, she seemed…I don't know. Like a person, as opposed to whatever I'd seen her as before.

She spotted me, and immediately made her way over.

"We have a problem."

I watched her, gaping in slight horror until I realised it probably wasn't a problem quite of the magnitude I was thinking. No one knew where we were. No one _could_ know where we were. Aside from Zelda blowing up the gatehouse and the plethora of bodies we left at the Wall, we left no trace when we left. It's not possible that we've been found – besides, we're outside the Hyrule Wall. They wouldn't have continued their pursuit beyond the Wall.

"What's wrong?" I asked finally, when she didn't continue.

She exhaled loudly. "We're travellers with no real profession and we need supplies and we have no money, so we won't be passing through here nearly as quickly as I'd hoped."

What happened to the money I gave her?

I guess I have to assume she already spent it.

On what?

What does an exiled princess buy these days?

"Passing through? You have somewhere else to be?"

I don't know why I'm surprised.

She rolled her eyes a little. "I'm Celida, the endless drifter. I _always_ have somewhere else to be."

And here I was, thinking she was Zelda.

Or Sheik.

Or whatever new alias she comes up with in the next couple of days.

"Like where?"

She paused for a moment. "Like…like…Lake Hylia."

"Lake Hylia," I repeated, somewhat amused.

"Exactly," she insisted. "It's Hyrule's water supply. We cut it off, and Ganondorf will _have_ to emerge."

"You're not doing a very good job of convincing me that leaving is a good idea," I pointed out.

"You would rather watch your country fall into ruin?"

"My country has _already_ fallen into ruin, if you haven't noticed," I told her dryly. "I'd like to keep what remains of it intact. In any case, money isn't a problem."

Her eyebrows shot up incredulously. "What do you mean?"

I lightly tossed her the coin purse of the man who I'd bumped into earlier. She caught it easily, looked down at it, then back at me and back again several times, a small smile playing upon her lips.

"You little _thief."_

Rather than say anything, I clasped my hands behind my back and looked away, trying to seem entirely innocent. Zelda bit her lip, fighting back laughter.

"You're a surprisingly able pickpocket, you know. I didn't even see you take it. I doubt they teach _that_ in the military."

I didn't look at her. "No, uh, it- I…not- not so much."

She seemed to become increasingly amused the more I stumbled over my words, trying to find the most delicate way answering her with any degree of truth. She'd know if I was lying. She's that kind of person.

"Where does a charming, law abiding young man like you learn to subtly steal from people on the street?"

I couldn't help but smile. "You think I'm charming?"

Her eyebrows rose slightly. "I think you're stalling."

That was true enough.

I shrugged innocently. "You know when you asked if I grew up on the streets, and I said no and you called me a liar?"

"Yes," she answered a little warily, watching me carefully as I shifted somewhat awkwardly.

"You were right."

Immediately, she grinned. "I_ knew _it. You are _far_ too comfortable walking around slums for someone who claimed to have never set foot in that kind of area before."

"Ha…_yeah…_fancy that."

Her smile faded and she watched me with what to me seemed like an almost unnerving amount of interest. I turned away from her, growing increasingly awkward by the second.

"At least you can bring yourself to admit it now," she murmured as she examined the coin purse, totally unperturbed by the implications of any of this. "Did you even mean to take this?"

"What, you think I didn't?"

"I think you've tried too hard to leave that life behind to just fall back into it now," she told me flatly. "Old habits die hard, it seems."

I had nothing to say to that. In any case, Zelda wasn't finished talking. But then, is she _ever _finished talking? I'm starting to doubt it. She always has to have the last word, no matter what. She'll die trying to fight and outlast every single one of her opponents.

"I doubt you could've kept up that level of skill if you hadn't done it at all."

I looked away. "Does this conversation have a point?"

"What? Am I not allowed to make sense of your incredibly murky background? You know about my origins, my past. We've been together for some time now. It's time I knew yours."

There are no words for how much I really do not want to talk about this. "I just- …it's a useful skillset to have. There's no point letting it go to waste."

"Of course."

"It's true."

"I'm sure. Do you pick locks as well?"

"Well yeah, I guess- …why do you want to know?"

She shrugged innocently. "Merely because you fascinate me, soldier."

"…thanks?"

I didn't know what else to say. There was nothing more I could say, as she decided she was done with the conversation and skipped on ahead, back to the market with the stolen money in her hand. I wondered vaguely how long it would take the man to realise he had been robbed. Probably not before he went to buy something or got home. I'm surprised I wasn't caught. The people here seem to be so much more vigilant than those in the capital – probably because here, there aren't any soldiers to be vigilant for them.

I surveyed my surroundings with a small smile. I'll be sad to leave. I think I'm starting to like it here. It took some getting used to, sure. But now I'm used to it and now I don't really want to go tramping off into the wilderness with no real destination in mind. Not again. And that'll inevitably be exactly what happens because this is how my life goes these days. Whatever small peace I find must be almost immediately shattered.

A loud _crack_ sounded out, causing just about everyone in the area to stop what they were doing and look around wildly for the source of the disturbance. I whirled around as well, drawing my sword, unsure of what else to do. For a brief, tense moment, there was nothing but silence.

Then, like something out of a nightmare, an explosion sounded and I whipped around just in time to see a massive ball of fire shoot up into the sky from what looked like the city entrance. In an instant, everyone around me started to panic, screaming and running to get away as quickly as possible. I stood rooted to the spot for a few moments, and the world seemed to be nothing but one mindless blur of colours and noise. I didn't know what to do. I could barely even comprehend what was happening. Everywhere I go there seems to be nothing but death and destruction. I can't escape it. I'm starting to feel as though my existence itself is cursed.

Maybe it is.

Maybe that's something Zelda has been trying to tell me this whole time.

This isn't _fair._ The Hero of Legend could've reincarnated as anyone, _anyone_ at all. So _why_ did it have to be _me?_

I was never going to lead a normal, relatively peaceful life, was I?

Was that ever an option for me?

Did I even have a chance?

All of a sudden, in seemingly no time at all, Zelda was beside me.

"Ah," she murmured amidst the chaos. "Right on cue. Excellent."

In an instant, I snapped back into reality, staring at her in absolute shock at her words. "Wha- _what? _You're saying _you_ did this?"

She remained unconcerned with me. "Is that so surprising? You were perfectly happy to assume it was me the day we left the capital."

"B-but I- that…that's not…what's _wrong _with you?" I demanded furiously as she grabbed my wrist and pulled me through the panicking crowd towards an alley we could escape through. "This isn't the capital! You're not going to draw Ganondorf out by attacking a city that isn't even within the Wall! What are you even _thinking?"_

Zelda didn't answer immediately, simply pulled me to the side and swinging around, letting go of me mid-turn so the built up momentum flung me straight into the wall. I slumped, panting, still gripping my sword tightly even though my hands were shaking.

"Don't act so shocked. I am only doing what is necessary."

_"Necessary?"_ I screamed at her so loudly I thought my throat might tear. "Are you completely _insane?"_

Yes.

Obviously.

Wasn't that question answered a long, long time ago?

"I am doing what must be done!" she snapped back at me viciously. "How can you possibly expect to fulfil your destiny if you refuse to make the needed sacrifices?"

"This isn't a needed sacrifice, and you _know _it. This is slaughter."

"You don't understand."

"Then _make_ me understand! For the love of the goddesses and all things holy, tell me _how_ this is supposed to improve anything!"

She stared absently off into the distance, saying nothing at all.

_"Tell me, _Zelda!"

She sighed heavily.

"All I've done is cut off the main entrance into the city," she said finally. "And in doing so given the people a reason to flee before the city is overrun."

"Overrun? Overrun by _what?"_

"Who knows?" she said with a totally casual, nonchalant shrug that was, given the situation at hand, possibly one of the more unnerving things she's done lately. "Monsters. Beasts. Gerudo. Hylians. Ganondorf's horde."

"And _how_ do you know that?"

She held up her right hand. "I believe you've witnessed at least one of my tiny little episodes of clairvoyance."

Of _course. _Of course that justifies everything. Obviously a brief episode of displaying some strange power I don't think even she understands gives her reason to do this. How could I have been such an idiot?

"Right. Sure thing. That's a perfect reason to set off more bombs and kill more innocent people."

"You're being sarcastic."

_"Yes, _I'm being sarcastic! You can't just do this kind of thing! Do you have even a _scrap_ of empathy, or are you a total sociopath?"

"Why continuously ask the question you already know the answer to?" she asked dryly. "Honestly Link, would you really still be here if you didn't see some validity in me and my cause? Would you really have come this far with me if you truly believed I was irredeemable?"

I sheathed my sword and sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. I can't do this anymore. I don't want to do this anymore. The world, my life, all of existence in general is a mess and trying to work it out, trying to fix every single problem is going to kill me sooner rather than later. I'm going to burn out, and I'm going to die if I keep going the way I'm going. I don't need a sporadic gift of clairvoyance to know that. It's plain enough to see. Continuing this way is going to kill me.

"I just don't understand how you can carry on the way you do. What you did in the capital, what I saw you do to that guard at the Wall…people have been executed for far less."

Her eyebrows rose, and it wasn't out of her usual cynical amusement. "You think I should be executed as penance?"

"I don't know what I think," I admitted quietly. "I used to think I knew how people worked; how the world worked. I used to think I knew who I was and my place. I used to think I had it all figured out. As it turns out, I don't know anything, the world is nothing like what I thought and everything about my life up until I met you was just perpetuating a façade I wasn't even aware of."

And I can't do this anymore.

I don't want to spend each day of the rest of my life constantly looking over my shoulder, always watching for the next threat to my life, always expecting the sound of explosions and fire no matter where I go.

"So?"

Zelda's voice pulled me sharply back into reality. My head snapped up and I glanced at her briefly before turning and walking away, saying nothing whatsoever. I don't want to talk to her anymore. I don't want to be around her.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?"

"I need to get away from this. Clear my head."

"Your selfishness is going to doom us all."

"You say it like your own hasn't done exactly that already," I retorted, not slowing.

I expected her to follow me, to chase after me and yell at me like she did last time I contemplated giving up on everything. I expected her to grab me and pull me back into the fray with that surprising strength she has. She didn't. Instead, she remained where she was, perfectly still and silent.

I kept going.

I didn't bother looking back.


End file.
